Syrian opposition warns UN council ahead of sanction votes

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Syrian opposition warns UN council ahead of sanction votes

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Russia proposed a draft which was rejected by Britain, France, United States, Germany and Portugal.

18 July,2012 06:36 am

Syrians will seek new ways to confront President Bashar al-Assad if the UN Security Council fails to threaten sanctions, the main Syrian opposition group said ahead of a vote showdown Wednesday between the major powers.Russia, which has threatened to veto a proposed western resolution calling for sanctions, proposed a new draft on Tuesday which was rejected by Britain, France, United States, Germany and Portugal, diplomats said.Barring a last minute surprise, we should now go for a vote on Wednesday and we expect a veto by Russia and China, said the UN envoy of a western nation.Representatives of the Syrian National Council (SNC) met ambassadors from the 15-nation Security Council, including Russian envoy Vitaly Churkin, in a bid to persuade them to back sanctions.The group warned that it will seek alternative ways to defend civilians if the UN Security Council does not threaten sanctions over the 16-month-old conflict in which activists say more than 17,000 people have died.Basma Kodmani, the SNCs head of foreign affairs, said the western resolution was a very last chance for breathing life into the peace plan of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.Should the current attempts fail, the Syrian National Council will explore other alternatives with international and regional friends in order to provide humanitarian protection to the Syrian people, Kodmani told a press conference.Russia and China have already vetoed two UN resolutions that hinted at sanctions. A third veto would be a message of blank cheque to continue the violence, to continue crushing the population, said Kodmani.I think Russia gets the message very clearly, she said. We have made clear to our Russian interlocutors, both in Moscow last week and today, that they have every interest in turning the page of the Assad regime with the Syrian people. SNC leaders met top Russian officials in Moscow last week.Security Council envoys were waiting for a sign of a breakthrough from a Moscow meeting between Annan and President Vladimir Putin to end the veto clash. But none came.Russia also proposed a new version of its own rival resolution on the future of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS). Russia was trying to be accommodating, said its deputy UN ambassador Alexander Pankin.There is nothing new in it, responded the western envoy, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were still going on.Western nations were insisting that there has to be a threat of sanctions under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. Their resolution says that sanctions would be considered if Assads forces do not withdraw heavy weapons from Syrian cities within 10 days of the resolution being adopted.The UNSMIS mandate ends on Friday and the western allies would only renew the mission for 45 days. The Russian draft would renew the mission for three months, but would not back it up with international action.If Russia pushes its resolution for a vote, the western countries are confident that at least seven of the 15 council members will abstain which would mean the resolution fails. A resolution needs at least nine votes with no veto to pass.Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the west of using blackmail by making sanctions a condition of renewing the UNSMIS mission.Special envoy Annan and UN leader Ban Ki-moon have both called for the Security Council to impose consequences if Assad and the Syrian opposition fail to carry out Annans peace plan.Russia insists that diplomatic pressure is enough. According to diplomats, President Putin spoke with Chinas President Hu Jintao at the weekend and the two agreed to oppose sanctions.