Russia pours cold water on Syria text
A young boy holding up a sign during an anti-regime demonstration in the Syrian village of al-Qsair, southwest of the flashpoint city Homs, yesterday.
Russia yesterday rejected the latest bid for UN action to end the political crisis in Syria, as at least 20 more people were killed, several in clashes between loyalist and rebel troops.
The violence came as thousands of people across Syria defied the government crackdown to commemorate a notorious 1982 massacre in Hama that killed thousands. The commemorations took place as Western and Arab countries sought to reach agreement on a draft UN resolution to pressure Syria to end its nearly 11-month crackdown on anti-regime dissent.
A text being considered by UN Security Council does not explicitly call on President Bashar al-Assad to step down or mention an arms embargo or sanctions, but “fully supports” an Arab League plan to facilitate a democ-ratic transition.
Diplomats said the new draft took into account concerns by Moscow, a staunch ally of Damascus. But Russia poured cold water on such hopes yesterday, saying it could not support the latest draft in its current form.
Meanwhile at least 20 people were reported killed across Syria yesterday, several during clashes between government troops and dissident soldiers, activists In Hama’s central neighbourhood of Junub al-Malaab, security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least one and wounding three, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based group said nine soldiers were killed in clashes with the rebel Free Syrian Army in the southern province of Daraa, while two children died in an explosion in Idlib.
Popular Stories
Man describes face-eating attack
Second strong earthquake hits Italy...
Cairo protests turn violent
Updated: Huge quake strikes off...
Disco legend Donna Summer dead from...
Sea Shepherd's Captain Watson...
North Korea's rocket crashes into...
Al-Megrahi is dead
Hollande declares victory in French...
In Discussion
Pope slams rebels over celibacy and...
Hollande declares victory in French...
Al-Megrahi is dead
North Korea's rocket crashes into...
Man describes face-eating attack
Breivik trial opens - shooter 'does...
Hollande wins first round of French...
Libya, Italy concerned about renewed...
Worker jumps into tank of acid to...
7 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Alfred Falzon
Feb 5th, 23:07
@ Pierre Ciappara
Is the rest of the world anti-Russian because it opposes Russian ex-KGB Prime Minister Putin et al's stance in favour of Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad?
Why did Russia veto yesterday the UN motion on al-Assad's brutal military crackdown on his people now reaching a toll of more than 6000 civilian casualties, many of them women and children?
You have floated an unfair and shameful accusation in an bid to conceal or excuse the immoral behaviour and corruption of the Putin regime which thousands upon thousands of Russians have condemned yesterday in a mammoth display of diffidence against it and in solidarity with the underdog!
It is an open secret today that Putin's armed forces have been indicted by human rights activists the world over for having invaded a sovereign country and committed a series of horrendous massacres of Chechen civilians, reducing Chechnya to an abject colony run by foreign Russian troops and their local lackeys!!
Shame upon all those so-called nations which could not care less about the sufferings and tribulations of other peoples crushed under the heel of tyrants!
Shame upon Russia and China!
Alfred A. Falzon
Pierre Ciappara
Feb 5th, 13:06
My anti Russian friends. I think Russians think with their brain and not with their pockets.... They don't need other people's resources to live on like Europe and USA .
Alfred Falzon
Feb 4th, 18:59
These two countries, one a dictatorship of Tien-an-Men fame and the other led by a notorious ex-KGB official (a close friend of Italy's former Premier Berlusconi), are both abusing with impunity their power of the veto.
For their regimes, democracy has no meaning whatsoever. It's worthless and in essence a sign of weakness! They just pay lip service to the people's rights but wilfully ignore their tribulations and berievements for they are still very much enamoured of the adage that "might is right"!
So don't expect the impossible from present-day ex-Soviet Russia and China of Chechen and Tien-an-Men massacres fame respectively!!
They are birds of a feather flocking together with such ruthless despots as Ahmedinejad of Iran and Al-Assad of Syria who have joined them as allies of convenience in their disdain of a people's fundamental human rights!!
Watching Russian TV and CCTV is in itself highly indicative as to what extent these regimes deeply regret to have abstained from vetoing the No-Fly zone motion way back in February 2011, during the UN session on the Libyan Uprising, when the rest of the civilised world was condemning the former Libyan despot Kadhafi and his clan for butchering his own people who dared rise against his murderous regime!
Alfred A. Falzon
Alfred Falzon
Feb 4th, 20:57
ERRATA CORRIGE
A mistake inadvertently occurred in para 2, line 2, in which the term "berievements" should have been spelled "bereavement".
The error is regretted.
Alfred A. Falzon
David Hill
Feb 4th, 15:26
It's a pity that Russia can't bring some pressure to bear on their "Friend" to sort out problems in that country.
That's what a true friend would do.
Mr D.S. Scott
Feb 4th, 14:09
Russia will continue to oppose such bids for UN action as long as the fraudulent Putin remains in power
mike Dobson
Feb 4th, 10:55
These bloody Russians again always putting a dumper on anything we europeans and the UN do to help out a human problem. The russians are just a different kettle of fish and always want to do the opposite.