China, Russia Block UN Resolution on Syria

After months of negotiations, UN Security Council members tonight failed to agree on a resolution condemning the Syrian government’s violent response to protests, with permanent members China and Russia using their veto to scrap the Western backed text. 

US Ambassador Susan Rice told Security Council members the Obama administration was outraged by the Council’s failure to address an “urgent moral challenge” and “a growing threat to regional peace and security”.

Nine Council members, including the US, France, UK, Portugal and Germany, voted in favor of the draft, while Lebanon, India, South Africa and Brazil chose to abstain.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Council members his country’s decision to veto the proposed resolution wasn’t based on Russia’s strategic ties to the Syrian government or support of the crackdown against civilian protesters, but was instead a rejection of the West’s “philosophy of confrontation”.

 “We can’t agree with this unilateral accusatory bent against Damascus. We believe it unacceptable the threat of an ultimatum of sanctions against the Syrian authorities.” he said

Churkin also said Western countries had failed to take into account Moscow’s demand that foreign military intervention be clearly ruled out of the resolution.

Russia and several other Council members have criticized the NATO backed mission to Libya for exceeding its mandate of civilian protection by targeting non-military infrastructure and trying to overthrow the Gaddafi regime. 

“The situation in Syria cannot be considered in the Council apart from the Libyan experience. The international community is alarmed by statements that compliance with Security Council resolutions in Libya, in the NATO interpretation, is a model for future actions for NATO in implementing responsibility to protect.”  Churkin told Council members.

US Ambassador Rice said the Syrian people could now see which countries were ignoring their calls for democracy and siding with dictators.

“Those who oppose this resolution and give cover to a brutal regime will have to answer to the Syrian people and indeed to people across the region who are pursuing the same universal aspirations.” 

Rice also dismissed Russia’s claims about NATO’s  interpretation of the Libyan resolution and that the vetoed resolution could have been a pretext for military intervention in Syria.

“This is not about military intervention. This is not about Libya. That is a cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people.”

Syrian Sanctions Will Freeze Assets, Block Oil Imports

Accompanying President Obama’s demand for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down was an executive order freezing all of the Syrian government’s assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in any transaction involving the government of Syria. Additionally, a ban has been placed on the U.S. import of Syrian origin of petroleum or petroleum products. Such actions will isolate Assad’s regime entirely from the US financial system. 

To aid in the implementation of the executive order, the US government has identified five state-owned companies that are involved in Syria’s petroleum sector and they expect to discover more US companies financially involved with Syria over the coming weeks.

“We expect this new executive order will disrupt the Syrian regime’s ability to finance its campaign of violence against the Syrian people,” a Senior administration official stated. 

Since protests began in March, the US has imposed sanctions against 32 Syrian and Iranian individuals and entities. Thursday, however, brought a newfound escalation of financial pressure on the Syrian government. 

The U.S. call for Assad’s ouster is part of a growing international reaction. Statements from Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and the European Union (EU) also denounced Assad’s actions and explicitly asked for Assad to resign. 

“Our aim has been to build a strong international effort in support of the universal rights of the Syrian people and to condemn and isolate the regime,” a Senior Administration official told reporters Thursday. 

“We can’t predict how long this transition will take,” the Senior Administration official continued. “Nothing about it is likely to be easy but we’re certain that Assad is on his way out and international pressure will continue to build.”