Russia, China veto UN resolution on peace for Syria

Feb 4, 2012, 19:31 GMT

New York - Russia and China on Saturday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria, the draft of which had the backing of most Arab and European countries.

Russia, which is a major arms suppliers to Syria, had already on Friday rejected a revised draft resolution, which had been weakened to meet Moscow's demands, including dropping a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

The 13 other council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was aimed at stopping the violence in Syria. According to the UN, more than 5,400 people have died in the regime's crackdown on protesters since mid-March.

The Security Council's inability to agree on a resolution undermined the role of the United Nations, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.

'This is a great disappointment to the people of Syria and the Middle East, and to all supporters of democracy and human rights,' Ban said in a statement.

'It undermines the role of the United Nations and the international community in this period when the Syrian authorities must hear a unified voice calling for an immediate end to its violence against the Syrian people.'

The double veto received harsh condemnation from other diplomats in New York.

'The United States is disgusted that a couple of members of this council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose here - addressing an ever-deepening crisis in Syria and a growing threat to regional peace and security,' US ambassador Susan Rice said.

She said the council had 'been held hostage' by a few countries seeking to prevent action. 'This intransigence is even more shameful when you consider that at least one of these members continues to deliver weapons to (al-)Assad,' she noted, in a clear reference to Russia.

Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he regretted the outcome, but called the draft biased against the government in Damascus. He claimed Russia had hoped to find a compromise, but had been undermined by countries intent on regime change.

China's ambassador, Li Baodong, called for an immediate end to the violence and a quick restoration of order in Syria. China understood international concerns, but maintained that Syria's sovereignty must remain undisturbed, Li said.

Britain's ambassador Mark Lyall Grant vowed to continue to pressure Damascus. 'This is a tragedy, this is a sad day. We made compromises but despite this, Russia and China vote against it,' he said.

He expressed surprise over the Chinese veto as they had not indicated earlier opposition. Grant accused China and Russia of playing games by insisting they hoped to prevent an outside military intervention that had not even been under consideration.

Germany's ambassador Peter Wittig decried the result as failing the Syrian people.

'The people in Syria and the region have been let down again,' he said. 'This is a crying shame. Even more so in light of the recent massacre in Homs.'

On Friday, the draft had had the support of 17 countries, including eight of the 15 council members - Morocco, France, Britain, the United States, Germany, Portugal, Togo and Colombia.

The other sponsors were Libya, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Turkey.

Morocco had called for Saturday's special session, which started more than an hour-and-a-half late as members haggled over the terms of the resolution. The country's ambassador said he regretted that the council had been left mute in the face of developments in Syria despite repeated attempts to make the draft palatable to Russia.

The watered-down text had demanded that the Security Council 'fully support' the Arab League's initiatives, which call for a transitional government in Syria.

The revised text maintained strong condemnation of the 'continued widespread gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities.' It cited use of military force against civilians, arbitrary executions and killings and persecution of protesters and media members.

It called for 'an inclusive Syrian-led political process conducted in an environment free from violence, fear, intimidation and extremism, and aimed at effectively addressing the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people.'

Read more about UN