Russia & China join forces to veto a European-drafted UNSC resolution condemning Syria
(Reuters) - Russia and China joined forces on Tuesday to veto a European-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria and hinting it could face sanctions if its bloody crackdown on protesters continues.The decision by Moscow and Beijing to use their veto power, Western diplomats told Reuters, could indicate that the Security Council might be headed for a longer-term deadlock on issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the "Arab Spring" pro-democracy movements in the region.The draft resolution received nine votes in favor and four abstentions fromBrazil, India, Lebanon and South Africa. Russia and China cast the only votes against the resolution, which was drafted by France with the cooperation of Britain, Germany and Portugal.
"We cannot today doubt the meaning of this veto of this text,... This is not a matter of wording. It is a political choice. It is a refusal of all resolutions of the council against Syria.This veto will not stop us," he added. "No veto can give carte blanche to the Syrian authorities."
2 comments:
Perhaps Russia and China should table a resolution condemning France for deporting Roma and imposing sanctions against the members of the French givernment who supported this egregious act of ethnic cleansing against one of Europe's most oppressed minorites!
The tide is turning against the unilateral use of the UNSC by the US and Europe. There are new forces that the US will have to reckon with. Most importantly, it does not have anything to offer to these new forces hence it is likely to become an 'irrelevant' power after being in the nineties the 'indispensable' power!
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