The United Nations established on Wednesday an office in Syria's central city of Homs, the first of its kind outside the capital Damascus with the aim of securing the flow of humanitarian help across Syria, the UN media and communication analyst told Xinhua Wednesday. In a phone call with Xinhua, Khaled al-Masri said the fresh step was carried out in coordination with the Syrian government and other international NGOs. He said the step also mirrored the UN's commitment to staying in Syria and to delivering humanitarian aids to all those in need across the country. The office in Homs is the first one to be established outside Damascus, al-Masri said, adding that other headquarters would be set up in other provinces within the next few months. He said the office was inaugurated Wednesday by a delegation of the UN that also met with the governor of Homs, Munir al-Ahmad, and discussed best ways to deliver relief aid to affected people. The office inauguration came also at a time the Syrian troops have advanced in the central town of al-Qussair near Homs on Wednesday and "fully" restored security to its southern outskirts and two towns at its northern rim, according to the state-run SANA news agency. Xinhuanet
