Russia: Syria Aid Draft could Open Door to Military Action

Local Editor

Russia denounced a Western-Arab draft UN Security Council resolution against Syria as a bid to lay the groundwork for military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Russia announced it would veto the current text because it contains "one-sided accusations", though Russia and its Security Council ally China said they are prepared to negotiate on a new draft if such a move could boost aid access.

Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow had presented its own draft UN Security Council resolution on humanitarian aid access after rejecting the Western- Arab text.

"We have presented our own draft resolution on Syria to the UN Security Council," Lavrov told a news conference, adding that it laid out "our vision of the role the Security Council can play if we want to foster a solution to the problems and not antagonize one side or the other".

Its own draft UN Security Council resolution on bringing aid to desperate Syrian civilians does not include the threat of sanctions on the Damascus regime.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had prepared two documents for UN Security Council discussion comprised of a draft on aid as well as a denunciation of "terror" sweeping the war-torn country.
Lavrov said the original draft on humanitarian assistance backed by Western and Arab states "is prepared in the form of an ultimatum. There are threats of sanctions."
"But we insist on the need to focus on practical work," Lavrov told reporters.

"The difference between their resolution and our understanding of the situation is that they take a very selective interpretation of the situation," Russia's top diplomat said.
Since receiving the original resolution on Thursday, which was drafted by Australia, Luxembourg and Jordan Moscow has been outspoken in its opposition. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described it as "detached from reality," while UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin dismissed it as a "non-starter."

On Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov added to Moscow's argument: "Its whole purpose and aim is to create grounds for future military action against the Syrian government if some demands it includes are not met."
"It is unacceptable to us in the form in which it is now being prepared, and we, of course, will not let it through," said Gatilov, according to state-run news agency RIA.
The draft aid text, obtained by Reuters, expresses an intent to impose sanctions on individuals and entities obstructing aid and if certain demands in the resolution are not met within 15 days of its adoption. It does not threaten military action for non-compliance with council demands and makes no reference to provisions of the UN charter covering the use of force.

Some Western diplomats have suggested Moscow is attempting to stall any Security Council action on the humanitarian situation in Syria until the Winter Olympics, being held in Sochi, Russia, finish on Feb. 23.
"The Russians are playing for time. We would like to complete negotiations and put this to a vote soon," said one senior Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There is a text on the table, it is negotiable and we're happy to negotiate."
It also condemns "increased terrorist attacks," and calls for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from Syria.

When asked if Beijing would negotiate on a draft text to try and increase aid access, China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi said on Wednesday, "We'll work with the other council members."
"We're all concerned about the humanitarian problem in Syria and the important things are to achieve unity of the council and also to work in ways that will actually facilitate the ongoing political process in Geneva," he said, referring to fragile Syrian peace talks in Switzerland.
"Also we need to see what kind of a reaction from the council can actually be helpful on the ground in terms of actually delivering humanitarian access," Liu said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team