Thursday, December 15, 2011

In Surprise Move, Russia Submits Syria Resolution - WSJ.com

In Surprise Move, Russia Submits Syria Resolution - WSJ.com

clip from article:
By JOE LAURIA

UNITED NATIONS—Russia introduced a surprise draft resolution into the U.N. Security Council on Thursday evening that blames Syria for "disproportionate use of force"—a shift from the Kremlin, which has steadfastly blocked council-members' attempts to censure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his violent crackdown on protesters.

While the draft appeared unlikely to meet the immediate approval of other council members, French and German ambassadors expressed pleasure that Russia had taken the step.

The Russian resolution blames Syria's government forces and protesters equally for the violence, a position rejected by Western countries. The draft also doesn't contain sanctions, a key Western demand already backed by the Arab League.

"There are some issues in it that we would not be able to support. There's unfortunately a seeming parity between the government and peaceful protesters," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in Washington. "Hopefully we can work with the Russians, who for the first time at least are recognizing that this is a matter that needs to go to the Security Council."

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