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Russian official: US decision to block statement on mission shelling 'diplomatic scandal'

The US has thus endangered the work of diplomats in Syria and other hot spots around the world, according to the Russian official
United Nations Security Council EPA/JASON SZENES
United Nations Security Council
© EPA/JASON SZENES

MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. The United States has supported militants by blocking the statement in the UN Security Council condemning the mortar shelling of the Russian embassy in Damascus, Head of the International Affairs Committee in the upper house of Russia’s parliament Konstantin Kosachyov told TASS on Wednesday.

The US has thus endangered the work of diplomats in Syria and all over the world. 

"When a statement of the UN Security Council condemning a terror act against a diplomatic mission is actually blocked, this is, in my view, an extraordinary event, a diplomatic scandal," the official assumes.

According to Kosachyov, "there are obvious and indisputable things that should be outside the framework of disputes and disagreements."

Diplomatic missions are among such sacred things in diplomacy:

"Those who attack them put themselves in a predetermined manner outside international and national law and cannot have the understanding of the international community, no matter what motives they are guided by," the official stressed.

"However, if this is not followed by a resolute and unanimous condemnation of such acts, militants actually receive support from quite influential forces verbally fighting against terrorism and protecting lawfulness," Kosachyov said.

In Washington’s opinion, Washington had a possibility to practically confirm this position but "it has failed the test" by blocking the Russian statement condemning the attack on Russia’s embassy in Damascus.

"This means, among other things, that diplomats in Syria (like in many other hotbeds of tension on the planet) will be confronted with additional risks," the senator said.

Russia initiated a statement of the UN Security Council on Wednesday condemning the mortar attack on the Russian embassy in Damascus. However, Russia’s statement was actually blocked by the US delegation, which tried to insert outside elements in the text that looked standard for such situations, Russia’s permanent representation at the UN said on Tuesday.

As Russia’s permanent representation said, "the British and the Ukrainians awkwardly played into the US hands."