UN resolution on Syria vetoed by Russia and China

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The United Nations Security Council did not pass a resolution supporting Arab League actions pursuing peace in Syria. The resolution was vetoed by Council Permanent Members Russia and China. This is the second time in the past four months that a resolution to control violence in Syria has been vetoed by Russia and China.

All of the other members of the Security Council voted for the resolution. The Moroccan Ambassador Mohammed Loulichki who sponsored the resolution said that he was "frustrated and sad" that it did not pass. United States ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said "The United States stands with you, the Syrian people, and we will not rest until you and your bravery achieve your basic, universal human rights, to which all human beings are entitled. Today, we saw clearly which countries are prepared to support the people of Syria — and, indeed, the people of the entire region — as they struggle to attain a future of peace and democracy." US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both supported the passage of the resolution.

The resolution was intended to control a violent civil war in Syria as part of the Arab Spring. Since protests broke out last year, as many as 6,000 protesters and 1,000 members of the Syrian Armed Forces have been killed. The protesters are calling for an end of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

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Sources

Press Release: "Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, At a Security Council Stakeout on Syria" — United States Mission to the United Nations, February 4, 2012
Anita Snow. "Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria" — Associated Press, February 4, 2012
Neil MacFarquhar and Anthony Shadid. "Russia and China Block U.N. Action on Syrian Crisis" — The New York Times, February 4, 2012

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