Russia rejects latest bid for UN action on Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia on Friday, Feb 3, rejected the latest bid for UN action to end the political crisis in Syria, as at least 20 more people were killed, several in clashes between loyalist and rebel troops, AFP reported.

The violence came as thousands of people across Syria defied the government crackdown to commemorate a notorious 1982 massacre in the central city of Hama that killed thousands. The commemorations took place as Western and Arab countries sought to reach agreement on a draft UN resolution to pressure Syria to end its nearly 11-month crackdown on anti-regime dissent.

A text being considered by UN Security Council does not explicitly call on President Bashar al-Assad to step down or mention an arms embargo or sanctions, but "fully supports" an Arab League plan to facilitate a democratic transition.

Diplomats said the new draft took into account concerns by Moscow, a staunch ally of Damascus.

But Russia poured cold water on such hopes on Friday, saying it could not support the latest draft in its current form.

"Some of our concerns and the concerns of those who think the same as us have been taken into consideration but all the same this is not enough for us to be able to support it in this form," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.

"We still have a whole number of concerns over the content of this text and we will be ready to continue consultations on the draft resolution," he said.

"We are ready to continue work on modifying it, taking into consideration and based on our principled positions," he said, adding that no vote was expected on Saturday or Sunday.

Relations between Russia and the West at the Security Council were badly strained over a resolution last year that authorized the use of force to protect civilians during Libya's uprising.

At least 20 people were reported killed across Syria on Friday, several during clashes between government troops and dissident soldiers, activists said.