Sharjah24 - Reuters: The United Nations on Wednesday called out inefficiencies in the operation of a deal allowing Ukraine Black Sea grain exports, but did not lay blame for a backlog of more than 100 ships in Turkish waters waiting on travel approval and inspections.

Under the deal agreed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations in July, ships are inspected in Turkish waters on their way to and from Ukraine. The four parties work together to approve and inspect ships traveling under the agreement.

"The United Nations urges all parties to work to remove obstacles for the reduction of the backlog and improve operational efficiencies," it said in a statement.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield last week accused Russia of a "deliberate slowdown of inspections," saying that 5 million tonnes of food a month should be moving under the agreement.

The Russian U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thomas-Greenfield's remark.

"We have been pushing to get more inspections. We've been pushing to make sure that the inspections proceed quickly and thoroughly," deputy U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said. "Everything has to be done with the cooperation of all the parties, and we're trying to do everything we can to move it faster."