China, Russia veto UN's condemnation of Syria
Source: Agencies |
October 6, 2011, Thursday
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China and Russia have joined forces to veto a European-drafted UN Security Council resolution that threatened sanctions against Syria if it didn't halt its crackdown on anti-government protesters.
The draft resolution received nine votes in favor and four abstentions from Brazil, India, Lebanon and South Africa on Tuesday. China and Russia cast the votes against the resolution, which was drafted by France with the cooperation of Britain, Germany and Portugal.
The United Nations says Syrian President Bashar Assad's military operations against demonstrators have killed at least 2,700 people.
China and Russia both said they oppose the crackdown but that sanctions wouldn't help resolve the crisis.
China said yesterday that relevant actions taken by the UN Security Council should be conducive to ease the tension in Syria.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said: "We hope relevant actions of the UN Security Council should help ease the tension in Syria, promote political dialogues to defuse differences, and maintain peace and stability in the Middle East."
The draft resolution presented by relevant countries "put pressure blindly on Syria and threatened sanctions," he said. "The draft resolution will not help ease Syria's situation."
He added: "We call upon all parties concerned in Syria to stop all forms of violence, promote the government to put its commitment of reform into practice, start the Syrian-led inclusive political process as soon as possible, and actively support conciliation efforts of regional countries and organizations."
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the Security Council that Moscow's veto reflected "a conflict of political approaches" between Russia and the European council members.
Churkin said that Russia was firmly opposed to the threat of sanctions against Damascus, adding that the confrontational approach of the European delegations was "against the peaceful settlement of the crisis."
Intervention
He reiterated his concerns that passing the European resolution on Syria could have opened the door to a Libya-style military intervention in the Syrian authorities' six-month crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
Chinese Ambassador Li Baodong said China opposed the idea of "interference in (Syria's) internal affairs."
Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari said the Western powers' aggressive rhetoric against his country had helped him defeat their draft resolution.
The failed resolution was a watered-down version of previous drafts that had threatened Syria with sanctions if it ignored international demands it halt its crackdown on protesters. Later drafts removed the word sanctions.
The EU and the United States have already imposed several rounds of sanctions against Assad and his government, including a ban on the import of Syrian oil.
The draft resolution received nine votes in favor and four abstentions from Brazil, India, Lebanon and South Africa on Tuesday. China and Russia cast the votes against the resolution, which was drafted by France with the cooperation of Britain, Germany and Portugal.
The United Nations says Syrian President Bashar Assad's military operations against demonstrators have killed at least 2,700 people.
China and Russia both said they oppose the crackdown but that sanctions wouldn't help resolve the crisis.
China said yesterday that relevant actions taken by the UN Security Council should be conducive to ease the tension in Syria.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said: "We hope relevant actions of the UN Security Council should help ease the tension in Syria, promote political dialogues to defuse differences, and maintain peace and stability in the Middle East."
The draft resolution presented by relevant countries "put pressure blindly on Syria and threatened sanctions," he said. "The draft resolution will not help ease Syria's situation."
He added: "We call upon all parties concerned in Syria to stop all forms of violence, promote the government to put its commitment of reform into practice, start the Syrian-led inclusive political process as soon as possible, and actively support conciliation efforts of regional countries and organizations."
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the Security Council that Moscow's veto reflected "a conflict of political approaches" between Russia and the European council members.
Churkin said that Russia was firmly opposed to the threat of sanctions against Damascus, adding that the confrontational approach of the European delegations was "against the peaceful settlement of the crisis."
Intervention
He reiterated his concerns that passing the European resolution on Syria could have opened the door to a Libya-style military intervention in the Syrian authorities' six-month crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
Chinese Ambassador Li Baodong said China opposed the idea of "interference in (Syria's) internal affairs."
Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari said the Western powers' aggressive rhetoric against his country had helped him defeat their draft resolution.
The failed resolution was a watered-down version of previous drafts that had threatened Syria with sanctions if it ignored international demands it halt its crackdown on protesters. Later drafts removed the word sanctions.
The EU and the United States have already imposed several rounds of sanctions against Assad and his government, including a ban on the import of Syrian oil.
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