Russia and China on Saturday joined hands again since October last year to block a UN resolution on Syria. Russia and China used double veto to block a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, which they deemed not the best choice to promote peace in the Middle East country.

 
China denies arms sales to Damascus
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday rejected accusations of selling arms to Syria as “baseless” while a Syrian opposition delegation left Beijing after holding talks with officials.

China cannot stay out of Syrian chaos
The West has sped up efforts against Syria after the double veto by China and Russia over the UN Security Council resolution. Russia has sent its envoy to the country. China cannot sit idly by as the situation moves away from its intentions.

China halts 'one-sided' draft
Experts called for unified international efforts to promote peaceful negotiations as a way to stop the violence and settle disputes in Syria, after Russia and China jointly vetoed an Arab-European draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution concerning Syria on Saturday.

Syria denies shelling restive Homs province as UN Security Council meets on Syria's unrest
Syria on Saturday dismissed as " media escalation" the report circulated a day earlier that the Syrian army heavily bombarded the central province of Homs, as the United Nations Security Council is set to meet Saturday to vote a new draft resolution on Syria.

Syrian unrest escalates as UN resolution stalls
As clashes continue in Syria, the UN Security Council is scheduled to meet again Saturday morning to vote on a resolution on the country.

Russia, China use double veto to block UN draft on Syria
Russia and China on Saturday joined hands in vetoing an Arab-European draft resolution which backs an Arab League plan to promote a regime change in Syria.

The unadopted draft resolution meant to say that the Security Council "fully supports" the January 22 Arab League plan to ask Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, one of the major stumbling blocks in pre-vote consultations which Russia strongly opposed.

The draft also urged efforts to "facilitate a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system ... including through commencing a serious political dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition."






Comments

 The West is trying to copy what they did to Libya in Syria. But it's hard to realize. The situation in Syria is quite different. Western military intervention could twist the normal development of the region. --Li Shaoxian, vice president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

 China has many commercial contracts and construction contracts in Syria, we believe the new regime will acknowledge these contracts and continue them.  --Yin Zhuo, a rear admiral and senior researcher with the PLA Navy Equipment Research Center, on these issues

  The pan-Arab body is the proper framework to resolve the Syrian crisis and the AL and its members are capable of doing this.  --Wu Sike, Chinese special envoy to the Middle East 

 China has to continue with its traditional principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. It cannot give up its neutral position to change its passiveness in this region. The diplomatic uncertainties brought by radical adjustment would be unbearable.  --Global Times editorial

Voices

@胡锡进: There is the possibility that the present regime in Syria will finally be overthrown by outside interference. But China and Russia’s veto is necessary. China is not protecting the present Syrian regime but is protecting the principle that outside forces should not forcibly change a country’s regime. Even if we can’t make it, we should not remain silent.

@刘在平: To repeatedly deny the justice of a country will undoubtedly ruin international justice. In the current world, human rights are the touchstones of sovereignty, and those sovereignties that go against human rights are in fact maintaining monarchical powers.

@林志波: Brilliant! China and Russia should unite in order to avoid the US-lead hegemony group from doing as they please. This is not only the right approach which maintains peace but also establishes international prestige and justice for China as well.

@英寒: China’s insistence with its own stand on Syria and vetoing together with Russia has given a clear demonstration of its never-compromising spirit. Now that Europe has fallen into a debt crisis, and is always thinking of ways to transfer its contradictions with the US to other countries, this clearly shows the power of politics. China has contributed much to the global financial crisis, and I believe China will not be swayed by the United States and the European Union. Support China!

@江水之寒: The Chinese government clearly is declaring its opinion, resisting hegemony, and maintaining justice together with Russia, while also guarding itself in terms of its predictable future patterns. This addresses significant issues regarding the country’s security and interests; therefore China’s veto decision was a wise move. As someone who is Chinese, I stand on the government’s side! Look at the world, what has happened to those countries that were interfered with by US-led influence? And as a result, what has happened to the world?




China's rare use of its veto in the UN drew heated debate on Weibo. Here is a record of all the times China has used its veto after rejoining the UN:
Source: ifeng.com-Globaltimes.cn

Russia

◆ The draft resolution that was put to a vote did not adequately reflect the real state of affairs in Syria and has sent an unbalanced signal to the Syrian parties. ◆ We believe that intensive efforts of the international community with a view to putting an immediate end to the violence and having a successful beginning and conclusion of an exclusively Syrian political process and withdrawal of the country from this crisis will be continued.  ◆Warned some countries against meddling in the internal affairs of Syria out of its concerns that the draft resolution contains what is seen to promote "regime change" in the Middle East country.

◆To push through a vote when parties are still seriously divided over the issue will not help maintain the unity and authority of the Security Council, or help resolve the issue. ◆China is of the view that the Syrian people's request for reform and safe guarding of their own interests should be respected, it is imperative to put an immediate end to all violence in Syria.	China

UN	◆Regrets that the Security Council has been unable to agree on a resolution supported by the League of Arab States to bring an early end to the violence and the killing in Syria.  ◆Everyone will seek instructions from their capitals and we hope to be able to vote as soon as possible.

◆We want to see the Security Council speak in a unified and strong fashion in support of the Syrian people, but also to the Syrian government that the violence needs to end and a political transition needs to take place. ◆The United States is disgusted that a couple of members of this Council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose here -- addressing an ever-deepening crisis in Syria and a growing threat to regional peace and security. ◆Syria must release all arbitrarily detained citizens, return its military and security forces to their barracks, and allow full and unhindered access for monitors, humanitarian workers, and journalists. ◆The United States is disgusted that a couple of members of this Council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose here -- addressing an ever-deepening crisis in Syria and a growing threat to regional peace and security.

US

Syria

◆Given our firm belief in the Pan-Arab role, we had hoped that the examination of the question of Syria first exclusively in the Syrian household and then in the larger, supporting Arab structure.  ◆ But the rush by some parties to invite international intervention, which we know in advance the objectives of its dealing with Arab issues, first and foremost the question of Palestine and the Israeli occupation of Arab territories is a cause for concern.

◆We are advocating the exertion of a concrete economic pressure so that the Syrian regime might realize that it is imperative to meet the demands of its people,we are not after regime change neither, for this is a matter that is up to the Syrian people to decide. ◆The Arab League is looking forward to the Security Council for the support of the draft resolution, which calls an immediate end to all violence against civilian people in Syria,I hope the support will give the momentum of the efforts by the League to bring peace to Syria.

AL

China and the Syrian Arab Republic established diplomatic relations in 1956. Over the past 50 years and more, the two sides maintained close exchanges at various levels and conducted friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in political, economic, trade, cultural and other fields.
Source: fmprc.gov.cn




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