PREVIEW: UN General Assembly to vote on Syria resolution

Feb 16, 2012, 1:26 GMT

New York - The UN General Assembly is to meet Thursday to take action on a Saudi Arabia-led draft resolution condemning the continuing violence in Syria and calling for a political transition to a democratic system.

The draft contains language that is similar to the UN Security Council resolution that was vetoed by Russia and China on February 4. There is no veto authority in the assembly, where each of the 193 nation members has an equal vote.

If the assembly were to adopt the draft, it would the second time since December that it condemns human rights violations in Syria. In that vote, the Assembly adopted the resolution 131 to 11, with 43 abstentions.

The United Nations estimates that at least 5,400 have been killed in the 11-month uprising, but it stopped counting in January when violence escalated drastically and it could no longer keep precise track. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than 7,200 people have died.

Failure by the UN Security Council to stop the internal conflict in Syria has put more pressure on the assembly to act again. But resolutions adopted by the assembly generally are not binding on UN members, and many members reject resolutions they consider to be against their national interests.

When it called for the meeting, the assembly indicated it would likely vote on the Saudi draft, which 'strongly condemns the continued widespread and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities.'

The draft says those violations include arbitrary executions; the killing and persecution of protestors, human rights defenders, and journalists; enforced disappearances; interference with access to medical treatment; and torture, sexual violence and ill-treatment, including against children.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said that more than 600 people, half of them in the restive city of Homs alone, have been killed since the vetoes by Russia and China, which killed the Arab League-backed resolution in the Security Council.

The Saudi draft also condemns 'all violence, irrespective of where it comes from, and calls upon all parties in Syria, including armed groups, to immediately stop all violence or reprisals in accordance with the League of Arab States' initiative.'

It calls for the government of President Bashar al-Assad to facilitate a 'Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations or ethnicities or beliefs.'

It also calls for Damascus to cooperate with the Arab League's plan of action and observer mission to Syria. The plan devises a process to end the conflict that so far has killed thousands of people on both sides.

On Wednesday, embattled President al-Assad hurriedly ordered a referendum on February 26 on a draft constitution that would allow political parties other than his Baath Party to run in elections, even as his troops pursued a lethal crackdown on dissent.

The Syrian opposition rejected the move and western powers voiced doubt about its sincerity.

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