“When you feed people who are starving, it’s not about gain. Starvation should not be used as a weapon of war.” said Louay Safi, a spokesman for the exile coalition representing the opposition in the Syria peace conference held in Geneva.

Lakhdar Brahimi (United Nations special envoy to Syria) said at a news conference in Geneva, that the governor of Homs had met with UN employees and was waiting to hear whether a shipment of food and medicine could enter the rebel-held old city of Homs. Homs was chosen in part for its significance as one of the first places where large protests broke out against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 and the site of the first major bombardments of rebel-held areas by the Syrian military in 2012.

The government has given approvals for aid deliveries to rebel-held areas in the past but has also revoked aid last minute. The delivery of aid would be the first sign of success that the negotiations could make a difference in the lives of suffering Syrians.