MOSCOW, July 6 (Itar-Tass) —— The adoption of a biased resolution on Syria by the UN Human Rights Council will be unable to promote the beginning of a political process in that country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. The resolution had been proposed by the United States.
“Russia was opposed to such a draft from the outset,” the Foreign Ministry said. “In the wake of the June 30 international conference in Geneva, which formulated a consolidated position of the international community on the settlement in Syria, it was important to preserve the constructive atmosphere and to create conditions for systematic work with the Syrian parties with the aim of putting an end to violence and establishing a political dialogue.”
However, the co-authors “chose a different way and proposed a document that departs far from the position agreed at the ministerial meeting on June 30,” the Foreign Ministry said. “In the text there is no condemnation of violence by the armed Opposition, about which the head of the UN observer mission in Syria Robert Mood had reported more than once. There is no condemnation of the acts of terrorism, although dozens of people have died at the terrorists’ hands. A blind eye is turned on this deliberately.
“In an attempt to balance the text the Russian delegation proposed an amendment with words of condemnation of the terrorist attacks in Syria,” the Foreign Ministry said. “We can find no explanation, let alone excuse for the authors’ refusal to accept that amendment, against which they voted. We regard this as departure from the liabilities under the UN Security Council’s resolutions on terrorism.
“In that connection the Russian delegation was forced to put the resolution to the vote in general and to vote against it alongside China and Cuba. India, the Philippines and Uganda abstained,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
“The imposition of that resolution on the international community has shown that in this way some states are trying to revise the provisions of the final communiqu· of the Geneva conference. Clearly, the adoption of this resolution will not promote the beginning of a political process in Syria.
Moscow proceeds from the understanding that for the genuine settlement of the crisis “there must be honest and systematic work with the Syrians, including the Opposition, for the sake of ending the violence.”
“Russia will continue to press for a peace settlement in Syria in cooperation with all parties concerned,” the Foreign Ministry said.