Russia, China block UN resolution on SyriaOctober 5, 2011 - 10:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia and China have used their veto right and blocked a draft UN resolution that threatened sanctions against Syria if President Bashar Assad's government continued violence against the opposition in the country. The draft resolution prepared by the European members of the UN Security Council and supported by the United States stipulated that the Assad's regime should face the possibility of tough sanctions if it fails to stop its crackdown on opposition within 30 days since the adoption of the resolution. The resolution was rejected late on Tuesday, October 4, by a vote of 9-2 with four abstentions. Russia, which stands firmly against any mention of sanctions citing the example of Libya where the NATO countries largely overstepped the UN mandate in a military operation against Muammar Gaddafi's regime, said the text of the document was "unacceptable" despite several changes to the draft. Russian envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin said at the session of the UN Security Council that the draft document reflected a "confrontational" approach toward the resolution of the political crisis in Syria. "The document did not contain provisions on the unacceptability of an external military intervention," Churkin said, RIA Novosti reported. The Syrian government has used force to crush opposition protests, which followed a wave of uprisings in other Arab countries. The UN says over 2,000 people have died since the start of the protests in March. The United States and the EU have already imposed unilateral sanctions on Syria and have called for Assad to step down. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Surveying works underway in Armenia’s Kirants Surveying works are underway in the Armenian village of Kirants in the northern Tavush province. Armenia calls for prohibiting threats of attacks on nuclear facilities Armenia has raised the need for a treaty prohibiting attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes. Armenia says ready to extend nuclear plant’s lifetime by 10 years Armenia has taken necessary measures to extend the lifetime of its nuclear power plant until 2036. Ameriabank's Trade Finance portfolio enriched with four prestigious awards from EBRD and IFC Ameriabank received the awards from international financial institutions in recognition of its trade finance operations. |