U.N. task force demands immediate aid access in Syria

GENEVA (Reuters) - Countries backing the U.S.- and Russian-led plan for a cessation of hostilities in Syria have requested access to besieged towns and expect approval from the warring parties without delay, the group's chairman Jan Egeland said on Friday. The "Task Force on Humanitarian Access in Syria" met at the United Nations in Geneva less than 24 hours after it was set up by major and regional powers meeting in Munich. "We have already submitted requests for access to the parties surrounding besieged areas,” Egeland said in a statement. “We expect to get such access without delay." (Reporting by Tom Miles, editing by Stephanie Nebehay)