Bashar Ja'afari, Syrian permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses the United Nations General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, on May 15, 2013. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Wednesday by a vote of 107 in favor to 12 against, with 59 abstentions, calling for a political transition in Syria. (Xinhua/Niu Xiaolei)
by Xinhua writer Gu Zhenqiu
UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A new resolution adopted Wednesday by the UN General Assembly may not help create favorable conditions for a political settlement of the Syria crisis.
The resolution condemned the Syrian government, but backed the role of a Syrian opposition coalition in transition talks.
"The fact that the text lacks an explicit call for no further militarization of the conflict is unjustifiable," Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the Brazilian permanent representative to the UN, told the 193-member General Assembly.
It weakened the faith in the resolve of the international community to end the conflict through diplomatic means, she said.
Although Brazil, China and Russia have all voiced their concerns at part of the text during negotiations on the draft resolution, the sponsor countries forcibly pushed forward the vote at the General Assembly.
"Forcibly pushing forward the vote is not conducive to the unity of the member states and the mediation efforts by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon," Li Baodong, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told the General Assembly before the vote.
The new resolution, which is not legally binding, received 107 votes in favor, 12 against and 59 abstentions, a drop in support in comparison with a resolution passed in August last year with 133 votes in favor, 12 against and 31 abstentions.
China and Russia were among the 12 countries to vote against the draft resolution, while 59 nations, including Brazil, South Africa and India, abstained.
Alexander Pankin, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said that the resolution was "very harmful and destructive," claiming it is aimed at a "regime change" in Syria.
Bashar Ja'afari, Syria's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that "the draft resolution seeks to escalate the crisis and fuel violence in Syria" through attempting to recognize the opposition Syrian National Coalition and legitimize the provision of weapons to them.
Given the grave reality of armed conflict in Syria, it is high time to create improved conditions for all the relevant parties to stop violence and start negotiations at an early date.
It is incumbent for the international community to make collective efforts to bring about positive atmosphere for planned peace talks in Geneva, which is likely to provide an updated roadmap for a Syrian-led political transition.
The UN General Assembly resolution was passed on the day when Ban left for Moscow in a bid to bring all warring parties in Syria to a proposed international conference in Geneva.
The international conference on Syria was part of an agreement between Russia and the United States. The two countries made a deal to sponsor another conference in Geneva by the end of May to bring together the Syrian government and the opposition to make a fresh bid for peace in the Middle East country, which has been plagued by a political crisis since March 2011.
UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The following were quotable quotes from a meeting of the UN General Assembly on the situation of Syria held here Wednesday:
"A threat of full-scale lawlessness looms large, portending to engulf the country in total anarchy and wanton destruction. What happens in Syria in the weeks and months ahead will profoundly bear upon the security and well-being of the entire region, and possibly beyond. We must not allow the shadows to lengthen, and mayhem to spread like a contagion." -- Vuk Jeremic, the president of the UN General Assembly. Full story
UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China reaffirmed on Wednesday that political solution is the only right way out for the Syrian issue, stressing that forcibly pushing forward the vote on a resolution in the General Assembly doesn't help the situation.
Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks at a plenary meeting of General Assembly to vote on an Arab-led resolution calling for political transition in Syria. China was among 12 countries who voted against the draft resolution. Full story
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