Deaths mount as Russia resists UN drive on Syria
Syria: Fresh bloodshed swept Syria as the West and Arab League
kept up their push for quick UN action to stop the regime's “killing
machine,” but holdout Russia vowed to veto any “unacceptable” proposal.
Wrangling at the United Nations on Wednesday came as fierce clashes
across Syria killed 59 people, mostly civilians, the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights said.
In New York, Britain's envoy said some progress had been made in
talks to persuade Russia to back a tough UN Security Council resolution
condemning the violence.
“We have made some progress today,” Britain's UN ambassador Mark
Lyall Grant told reporters after a three-hour meeting of council
members.
Russia's envoy Vitaly Churkin said: “We have a much better
understanding of what needs to be done to reach a consensus ... I think
it was a pretty good session.” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
said Security Council members had to decide whether to side with the
Syrian people or a “brutal dictatorial regime”.
“Every member of the council has to make a decision: Whose side are
you on?” she told reporters in response to a question about Russian
opposition to an Arab- and Western-backed resolution condemning
President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov
appeared to snuff out hopes of a quick vote.
“Attempts are being made to find a text that is acceptable to all
sides and would help find a political solution for the situation in
Syria. Therefore there is going to be no vote in the next days,” he told
Interfax news agency.
But French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in Paris that Russia had
a “less negative” attitude towards the resolution and said a vote could
take place “perhaps” next week.
“For the first time, the attitude of Russia and the BRICS (China,
India and South Africa on the Security Council) is less negative,” Juppe
told MPs.
The draft resolution, introduced by Morocco, calls for the formation
of a unity government leading to “transparent and free elections.”
It stresses that there will be no foreign military intervention in
Syria as there was in Libya, which helped to topple Moamer Kadhafi.
A new draft was expected to be prepared following Wednesday's talks
and submitted to Council members Thursday for new discussions, diplomats
said.
In Rabat, Foreign Minister Youssef Amrani said that Morocco, the only
Arab country currently on the Security Council, was “committed with all
our partners to achieving a consensus on this resolution.” On Tuesday,
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani told the Council
that “bloodshed continued” as the Assad regime cracked down on its
opponents and that the “killing machine is still at work.” Russia, a
long-standing Assad ally and one of his top arms suppliers, hasdeclared
that the UN body does not have the authority to impose a resolution that
calls for regime change in Syria, a position supported by China.
“If the text is unacceptable then we will vote against,” Churkin was
quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Russia would not approve a text it viewed as “incorrect” and that
would “lead to a deepening of the conflict,” he said.
The Britain-based Observatory said Wednesday's heaviest toll was in
Damascus province, where 24 civilians were killed.
Fifteen soldiers were reported killed in the central city of Homs and
six army deserters in Damascus.
AFP |