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Security Council vote to affect Syria talks in Geneva — China's UN envoy

"This is a wrong approach to having the problem of chemical weapons in Syria settled," the diplomat said

UNITED NATIONS, February 28./TASS/. The decision by western countries to put to a vote at the UN Security Council an uncoordinated draft resolution on Syria was wrong and will negatively tell on talks between Damascus and the opposition, China’s UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi said on Tuesday.

"The draft resolution was proposed for a vote in the situation when attempts to bring the positions closer failed. This is a wrong approach to having the problem of chemical weapons in Syria settled," the diplomat said.

"It does not encourage the process underway in Geneva and the political process in Syria on the whole," China’s permanent representative to the UN said.

Russia and China have vetoed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution to impose sanctions on Syria over chemical attacks allegedly carried out by Damascus.

The document initiated by the UK, the US and France scored nine votes, or a minimum number necessary to adopt a document. So, Russia and China had to use their right to veto.

Along with Russia and China, Bolivia voted against the draft resolution, while Egypt, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia abstained.

The draft envisaged a ban on supplies of all types of helicopters to the Syrian government, army and government structures. As a ground for such sanctions the document cited conclusions of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism which put the blame for three chemical attacks, when containers with presumably chlorine were dropped from military helicopters, on Damascus. Russia and China said these conclusions were not convincing.

According to Liu Jieyi, China is worried by incidents in which chemical agents were used in Syria, but the investigation into these incidents continues, and "that is why it is too early to speak about final results". The diplomat said that Security Council decisions "must be based on exhaustive and verified evidence," while the draft resolution "is basing on conclusions on which the member countries still have differences".

The draft also envisaged sanctions against a number of Syrian officials and government structures allegedly involved in the chemical attacks and production of poisonous agents.