Syria
Draft Vetoed
by Russia
& China,
As Pakistan
& S.
Africa Abstain
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 19 -- On
Syria, the
vetoes had
been
telegraphed
and
were delivered
Thursday
morning:
Russia and
China voted
against the
UK table
resolution
under Chapter
7 of the UN
Charter.
Pakistan and
South Africa
also
abstained.
After
the
vote,
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
of Russia said
that the draft
was
one sided,
threatening
sanctions only
against the
government
contrary
to the agreed
communique in
Geneva.
He said the
Western powers
are
fanning the
flames of
extremism
including
terrorist
groups, then
spoke of
Wednesday's
bombing in
Damascus.
India,
which
voted for the
resolution,
also called
the bombing
terroristic,
as had China's
Li Baodong to
Inner City
Press.
Pakistan in
explaining
its abstention
said that the
extension of
the UNSMIS
mission should
not have been
tied to
Chapter 7.
Pakistan
proposed a
"technical
rollover" of
UNSMIS.
The
UK's
Lyall Grant,
on the other
hand, said the
UK is
"appalled by
the decisions
of Russia and
China to veto
this draft
resolution"
and deny envoy
Kofi Annan
with the
support he
asked for.
But
in
the last week
and days,
Annan could
have said he
wanted Chapter
7,
but did not.
France's
Gerard Araud
made the same
claim of what
Annan
wanted, adding
a reference to
"blood thirty
dictators."
Ironically,
soon
after Araud
finished the
fourth
Frenchman in a
row to head UN
Peacekeeping,
Herve Ladsous,
left the
Security
Council. As
noted, he
arranged the
flights of
then French
foreign
minister
Michelle Aliot
Marie on air
craft of
cronies of
Tunisian
dictator Ben
Ali.
Robert
Mood is out,
it was further
confirmed to
Inner City
Press which
first reported
his
impending
departure in
June. Might he
have a bigger
role in DPKO?
Watch this
site.
Update:
Speaking after
Guatemala, US
Ambassador
Susan Rice
called this a
"dark day for
Turtle Bay"
and said the
US will work
with others to
pressure
Assad. She
cited chemical
weapons and
sexual abuse,
a topic on
which Ban
Ki-moon
official Vijay
Nambiar
chaired a
meeting on
Wednesday.
, 
