Russia resists UN drive on Syria

Fresh bloodshed swept Syria yesterday after Western powers and the Arab League demanded immediate UN action to stop the regime’s “killing machine” but holdout Russia still vowed to veto any proposal it deemed unacceptable.

Wrangling at the United Nations came as fierce clashes raged across Syria’s powder keg regions killing 59 people, mostly civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitoring group said at least eight civilians were killed in shelling by regime forces in the restive central city of Homs while 24 were killed in fighting in the Damascus region. Activists said the unrest had killed nearly 200 people nationwide over the previous three days while France said yesterday 6,000 people had been killed since the beginning of the uprising11 months ago.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, backed by her French and British counterparts and Qatar’s Premier, led the charge on Tuesday for a tough UN resolution that would call on President Assad to end the bloodshed and hand over power.

“We all know that change is coming to Syria. Despite its ruthless tactics, the Assad regime’s reign of terror will end,” Mrs Clinton told the UN Security Council.

“The question for us is: how many more innocent civilians will die before this country is able to move forward?”

However, yesterday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov appeared to snuff out any hopes of a quick vote.