The UN Security Council unanimously approves a resolution renewing the UN observer mission in Syria for 30 days on July 20, 2012.
The UN Security Council has approved a resolution extending the mandate of its observer mission in Syria for another 30 days.
The British-drafted resolution was adopted unanimously on Friday after it underwent revision to allow for a possible renewal of the mission; a point which had not been included in the original draft.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had earlier said that his county will veto the UK-backed proposal that would extend the UN observer mission in Syria for a “final” 30 days. Russia had expressed support for a Pakistani proposal that would extend the mission for 45 days with no conditions and the possibility of further renewals.
But after closed-door consultations called by Pakistan, all 15 council members reached agreement on a revised British text.
On Thursday, Russia and China vetoed a Western-backed UN Security Council draft resolution against Syria, which called for new sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
It is the third time that the two countries block an anti-Damascus resolution since the beginning of unrest in Syria last year.
Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since mid-March, 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
Four Syrian military and security officials were killed in a terrorist bombing at the headquarters of the Syrian National Security in the capital on Wednesday.
The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
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Putin Warns Against Bypassing Security Council Syria Veto
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Russian President Vladimir Putin opposes any action related to Syria not authorized by the United Nations Security Council, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. “In the Russian president’s opinion, any attempt to act without the [UN] Security Council’s approval will be inefficient and will undermine the authority of this international organization,” the spokesman said. After Russia and China vetoed the Western-backed UN Security Council resolution, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said that the United States and its partners “have no choice but to look to partnerships and actions outside of this council to protect the Syrian people.” Putin met with members of Russia’s Security Council on Friday to discuss the latest developments on Syria, including the veto. “Members of Russia’s Security Council stressed that attempts to link the aggravating situation in Syria to Russia’s stance were inappropriate and inadmissible,” Peskov said. RIA Novosti |
Published on 20 Jul 2012 by RussiaToday
All members of the UN Security Council have voted in favour of a resolution, extending the observer mission to Syria. The mandate’s been given a “final” 30 days, but could be renewed if certain conditions are met. RT’s Marina Portnaya has the latest from New York.
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