Russia opposes any UN resolution on Syria
Russia yesterday said it opposed the UN Security Council adopting any resolution on Syria, risking a major dispute with the West over the response to the crackdown on Syrian protestors.
"Russia is against any resolution of the UN Security Council on Syria and this has been stated more than once at presidential level," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters.
"The situation in this country, in our opinion, does not pose a threat to international peace and security," he said, quoted by Russian state media.
Britain and France have drawn up a new resolution which demands that President Bashar al-Assad end violence against the opposition and lift the siege of protesting cities. It also calls for an arms embargo on Syria.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday sternly warned Russia and China against blocking the resolution: "If anyone votes against that resolution, or tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience," he said.
Human rights groups says more than 1,100 people have been killed throughout the country since the opposition protests against the Assad regime erupted in mid-March.
But Lukashevich insisted the situation in Syria was "best dealt with by the Syrians themselves."
The spokesman acknowledged that the situation in Syria remained tense, but appeared to blame this on actions by extremists rather than the regime itself.
Comments