Iran hails Russian and Chinese UN veto on Syria
'Security Council has become a tool for West's
bullying':
Iran: Iran on Sunday welcomed the Russian and Chinese veto on a UN
Security Council resolution condemning its ally Syria for its crackdown
on dissent, the official IRNA news agency reported. “By vetoing the
proposed sanctions China and Russia have been just,” Foreign Minister
Ali Akbar Salehi said.
“The Security Council has become a tool for the West's bullying ...
of other nations, and this time Russia and China stood up against it,”
the Islamic republic's top diplomat said.
“The Security Council ... wanted to take a path in deciding a head of
state, while it is not within the functions of this council to interfere
in other nations' internal affairs,” he said.
Russia and China on Saturday blocked a Security Council resolution
condemning Syria for its crackdown on protests, drawing condemnation
from other global powers and the Syrian opposition.
The other 13 countries in the 15-member council voted for the
resolution, proposed by European and Arab nations to give strong backing
to an Arab League plan calling for President Bashar al-Assad to hand
over to his deputy.
Syria is Iran's main ally in the Arab world.
The United States and France accuse Iran of supplying Syria with arms
to put down a revolt which has seen at least 6,000 people killed since
last March, according to opposition activists.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last Tuesday warned
against US interference in Syria's internal affairs while saying he
backed reform for the Syrian people. AFP
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