Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 29, 2013
US Frustrated by Russian Efforts to ‘Block’ Syria Action at UN
WASHINGTON: An urgent meeting of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – reportedly called by Russia – ended in less than an hour on Thursday without any indication of progress or agreement on the crisis in Syria following last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack, US media reported.
It was the second time in two days that the five permanent Security Council members – the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China – came out of a meeting with no apparent progress.
Russia, which on Wednesday blocked a British resolution seeking the authorization of military force, says there is no evidence that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack. The US and its allies say they are convinced that the Assad regime was behind the attack.
And in a stunning defeat for British Prime Minister David Cameron, the British parliament late Thursday voted against endorsing military action against Syria.
The White House said Thursday’s Security Council permanent member meeting was the latest effort by Moscow to prevent the UN from holding Syria accountable for the alleged use of chemical weapons near Damascus on Aug. 21. The Syrian government has denied using chemical agents.
The United States believes “strongly” in the UN process, but, “What we’ve seen at the UN is a repeated willingness on the part of the Russians to block action… They’ve done it three times, looks like they’re doing it again,” said White House deputy press secretary Josh Earnest in a briefing with reporters.
The United Nations Security Council has not authorized any military intervention in the Syrian crisis, which began in early 2011. Moscow, along with Beijing, has previously vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions condemning Assad’s government.
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Itar-Tass
August 30, 2013
Five permanent members of United Nations Security Council end meeting on Syria
UNITED NATIONS: The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have ended their discussions of the situation in Syria, a source at the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
“The meeting is over,” the source said without commenting on details.
British Ambassador to the United Nations Mark Lyall-Grant also refused to give any comments to journalists.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council held their first meeting last Wednesday to discuss a British draft resolution, which was supposed to sanction measures necessary to protect civilians in Syria.
Observers believed that the wording was designed to hide Western plans to deliver missile strikes at Syria.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier on Thursday that London would not insist on a military operation against Damascus if the majority of Security Council members voted against that.
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