Russia Blasts UN Rights Council Resolution on Syria, Defends Arms Sales

Russia and China continue to obstruct and criticize international attempts to address the situation in Syria. On Friday, Russian diplomats criticized a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Syria as an open appeal to military intervention.

The UN rights body resolution passed by a 37-4 margin, with China, Russia, Cuba and Ecuador voting against and six other countries abstaining. Russia’s envoy at the Geneva based body said the resolution was a one sided, politicized attempt to exacerbate the conflict. 

“We are particularly concerned at a number of provisions in the draft which could be interpreted as an open appeal to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs allowing for military actions including military intervention.” Ambassador Valery Loschinin told Council members after the vote.

Loschinin argued the resolution placed full blame on the Syrian government, while ignoring serious crimes carried out by armed anti-government protesters.

But UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay warned that failure to stop the Assad government’s “ruthless repression” could drive Syria into full out civil war. 

“The international community needs to take urgent and effective measures to protect the Syrian people.”she told Rights Council members. 

On Monday, a UNHRC mandated investigation concluded Syrian security forces had committed crimes against humanity against the country’s civilian population since anti-government protests broke out back in March. The report says the scale and patterns of attack indicates Assad government officials authorized or had knowledge of security force operations. 

Pillay says over 4 000 people have been killed since March, and more than 14 000 remain detained for their alleged role in the uprising. 

The UN rights chief also renewed her earlier calls for the Security Council to refer the Syrian situation to the International Criminal Court. 

But Russia’s Ambassador says his country does not consider the Assad government’s actions to be war crimes. 

 “We believe that there are no basis for calling Damascus’s activities crimes against humanity . In any event, this goes beyond the mandate of the Council.” 

 Loschinin said the Council mandated report on Syria was flawed, mainly because investigators weren’t allowed into the country to verify the situation first hand and instead had to rely on witness testimonies. 

In a statement this afternoon, American Ambassador Susan Rice welcomed the resolution  as part of the “ever expanding chorus of condemnation of the Asad regime’s brutality.”

 Rice said she was pleased all seven of the Rights Council’s Arab members had supported the resolution and that the Obama administration would continue to lead efforts to assist the Syrian people.

However it seems unlikely those efforts will result in Security Council sanctions Syrian opposition groups and Western governments have been calling for.

In October, Russia vetoed a European and US backed Security Council resolution on Syria, arguing Western powers would use it to justify military intervention.  

At the time, US Ambassador Susan Rice said the argument about preventing military intervention was:”a cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people.”

Last week, the League of Arab States announced it had suspend Syrian from the organization and imposed its own set of sanctions against the Assad government.

In a press conference today marking Russia’s Presidency of the Security Council for the month of December, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said his government believes the Arab League’s recent actions are counter-productive. 

 “Its very disconcerting that it may damage the opportunity for the Arab League to play a mediating role and a pacifying role in the Syrian situation.”

Churkin also defended Russia’s weapons sales to Syria, arguing that Russia was a minor player in the international arms market compared to some other states and that all transactions were “guided by international norms, rules and laws.” 

“With Syria in particular we have arrangements which would not allow those weapons to be used by those who are not suppose to have them.” Churkin said. “You look at the region and you see reports that this particular country has signed for 120 billion dollars! Lets see things in perspective. If you go ahead and supply 120 Billion dollars of weapons to the region, why should you be worrying  about somebody supplying a few million dollars worth of military hardware?”

Ahmadinejad Visit to UN Sparks Protests, Walkouts

On a day where several hundred demonstrators rallied and chanted outside UN headquarters against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York, European Union and American diplomats inside the world body staged their own protest, walking out half way through the Iranian President’s address to the General Assembly.

In his half hour speech, Ahmadinejad’s listed off a long line of rhetorical questions condemning American and European foreign policy as far back as the 17th century.

“Who imposed colonialism for over four centuries upon this world?…Who triggered the first and second world wars? Who created the wars in the Korean peninsula and Vietnam? Who imposed, through deceit and hypocrisy, the zionist and all their 60 years of war, homelessness, terror and mass murder on the Palestinian people and countries of the region?” 

Ahmadinejad also spoke of more recent events,blaming the global economic crisis on the greed of Western governments and corporation, criticizing the Security Council’s bias towards Israel and putting in question NATO’s motives in Libya. 

“ Do these arrogant powers really have the competence and ability to run or govern the world? Or is it acceptable that they call themselves as the sole defender of freedom democracy and human rights, while they militarily attack and occupy other countries? Can the flower of democracy blossom from NATO’s missiles, bombs or guns?”

Last year, diplomats walked out of the Iranian President’s General Assembly address after he said the September 11th attacks could have been orchestrated by the American intelligence community and called for an international investigation into the matter

Ahmadinejad once again brought up 9/11 conspiracy theories, this time questioning American motives behind the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden.

“Instead of assigning a fact finding team, they killed the main perpetrator and threw his body into the sea…why should it not have been allowed to bring him to trial, to help recognize those who launch terrorist groups and brought wars and other miseries into the region?Is there any classified information that must be kept secret?”

The US mission to the UN issued a short response to the Iranian President’s address. 

“Mr. Ahmadinejad had a chance to address his own people’s aspirations for freedom and dignity, but instead he again turned to abhorrent anti-Semitic slurs and despicable conspiracy theories.” said the statement.

Commerce Department Touts Turkish Trade Initiative

By Kyle LaFleur

Top trade and commerce officials from the United States and Turkey held the inaugural meeting of the US-Turkey Framework For Strategic Economic and Commercial Cooperation Tuesday in Washington. In attendance were U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan.  

“Trade between Turkey and the United States totaled nearly $11 billion last year, mutually beneficial trade,” said Locke. “We believe that through this framework and other dialogues, we can build on this robust commercial relationship to the mutual benefit of the peoples of both of our great nations.”

The framework discussed today has created a US-Turkish Business Council which will provide policy recommendations from business leaders and help each government improve economic relations. The first scheduled meeting of this council is set for 2011.

The FSECC also finalized text on a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) which Locke said will increase bilateral foreign direct investment. That document will be signed by leaders from the two nations later tise year.

“In other areas including energy, transportation, regulatory and scientific cooperations, intellectual property rights, both sides have agreed on activities to help boost bilateral trade and investment in the months ahead,” Locke added. 

The Commerce Department believes that a tighter partnership between the U.S and Turkey will yield more jobs in America.

“The more that our businesses are able to sell, not just to each other but around the world, the more they are going to produce,” said Locke. “The more they produce, the more they are going to need people to make those products and provide those services, and that means good paying jobs.”

Administration Officials Urge Senate To Ratify START

By Kyle LaFleur - Talk Radio News Service

White House officials are urging a key Senate panel to quickly ratify the New START Treaty. The treaty, which U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dimitry Medvedev signed back in April, aims to reduce the number of nuclear weapons possessed by the two nations.

“Between us, the United States and Russia comprise about 90% of the worlds nuclear weapons so these reductions also support our goals of nonproliferation and will do so without jeopardizing the nuclear triad,” said DOD official James Miller during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will debate and likely vote on the treaty tomorrow. With Democrats controlling the majority of seats on the panel, passage is expected. However, Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) has said he doesn’t expect the treaty to reach the floor until after the midterm elections in early November.

According to the White House, the treaty will limit the amount of nuclear warheads both nations can have, but would not restrict the U.S.’s ability to deploy missile defenses in the event of an attack or severe threat. Miller said the treaty would allow for more frequent inspections of Russian nuclear facilities.

Iraqi People Need To Take Initiative, Says Kurd Official

By Rob Sanna-Talk Radio News Service

The Chief of Staff for the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, located predominantly in northern Iraq, called upon the U.S. to take a less dominant role as the Iraqi government forms.

“The United States must not take the initiative in forming the Iraqi government, that’s not good for the United States, and its not good for Iraq,” said Fuad Hussein during a discussion with the Atlantic Council in D.C. Friday.

“But if we take the initiative… It is important to have the UN there and also the United States…the ground must be well prepared for negotiations,” Hussein added.

It is his belief that the U.S. should act more as an arbitrator to help bring the political parties of Iraq together, and have a very limited role in determining policy. He did concede, however, that the U.S. is needed to provide security from terrorism, influence from neighboring countries like Iran and the division among Iraqi people.

“We can not secure [Iraq], the threat of terrorism is still there, intervention from various countries is still there, influence of various neighboring countries is still there, we are still divided until 2011… Security wise we need to have good relationships and agreements with the outside world,” said Hussein.