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UN General Assembly

Lavrov blasts France’s idea to limit veto power in UNSC as shameless move

"Britain and France themselves generally play along with those who want to force the process," the Russian foreign minister pointed out

MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. Paris is shamelessly pushing for limiting the right to veto in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with TASS ahead of his participation in the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

"On this front, other permanent members of the Security Council – Britain, France, and the United States – take a rather duplicitous position. Britain and France themselves generally play along with those who want to expedite the process. And here is France throwing in the idea of the need to limit the veto power," Lavrov pointed out. "You understand when I say, it’s shameless; it just shows the hypocrisy of the French, even in such a situation it manifests itself; it's just another way for Paris to puff out its chest."

"And they say, 'Well, it will be a voluntary restriction.' When asked, 'How exactly do you see this working?' [they reply], 'Well, in cases when it comes to genocide, to mass violations of human rights, the permanent members should voluntarily refrain from using the veto power when considering the relevant situations,'" he continued. "You know, it is really regrettable to consider such a situation cynically, but we asked the French at that moment: 'Just so we understand correctly, we can waive our veto – in cases when it comes to genocide, mass violation of human rights – when the number of victims is how many…? 100, starting from 100? And if [the number of victims is] 99, can we still use the veto?'"

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov UN Security Council UN General Assembly

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