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| Syrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Ja'afari speaks to media after a Security Council consultation at the UN headquarters in New york, the United States, Jan. 27, 2012. The UN Security Council on Friday met behind closed doors to discuss a Western-Arab draft resolution on Syria with the 15-nation UN body still divided on the situation of the Middle East country.(Xinhua/Shen Hong) |
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday met behind closed doors to discuss a Western-Arab draft resolution on Syria with the 15-nation UN body still divided on the situation of the Middle East country.
Morocco, the only Arab country on the Security Council, presented the draft resolution to the council at the closed meeting, which kicked off at around 15:10 p.m. EDT here on Friday at a time when Russia reportedly said that the draft is unacceptable because it does not take Moscow's position into account.
The draft was jointly drawn up by Arab states with Britain, France and Germany.
Britain and France are the two of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Morocco and Germany are among the 10 non- permanent members of the UN body.
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said in Moscow on Friday that the draft, which is circulated in the Security Council on Friday afternoon here, contains "no fundamental consideration for our position" and is missing "key aspects that are fundamental to us," reports said.
Also on Friday, UN Secretary-Geneal Ban Ki-moon, who is in Davos, Switzerland, called on the Security Council to speak with one voice on Syria, and urged Damascus to listen to the aspirations of its people.
On Monday, Syria rejected a proposal by Arab League foreign ministers that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria hand over power to a deputy and set up new unity government, saying that the plan was part of a "conspiracy against Syria."
The secretary-general of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi and Quatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani are to head to New York on Saturday to seek support for an Arab plan on Syria, reports said.
Syria insisted that the turmoil in the country is plotted by terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs. The Syrian government said that more than 2,000 army and security personnel were killed during the unrest, while the United Nations put the death toll in the country at more than 5,000.
Syria was plunged into turmoil in Mid-March last year when anti- government protests broke out. Damascus signed the Arab League observer protocol on Dec. 19, 2011 in Cairo after the Arab League threatened to take the issue to the Security Council.
Related:
Violence ramps up in Syria as Arab observers urge immediate halt of chaos
DAMASCUS/CAIRO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- New explosions and violent acts took place over the weekend across Syria, painting a grim picture of growing chaos and terrorism in the unrest-torn country, as the Arab League (AL) observers' mission to Syria urged an immediate end to the violence.
Head of the AL observer mission Moustafa al-Dabi said on Friday that violence has greatly escalated over the past three days in Syria, especially in the areas of Homs, Idlib, and Hama. Full story
