SANTO DOMINGO – US Secretary of state Hillary Clinton has said the UN Security Council failed in its duty by not passing a resolution on Syria and said Russia and China would have to explain their vetoes to the Syrian people.
“We believe the security council abrogated its responsibility yesterday,” Mrs Clinton told reporters, saying the measure vetoed by Russia and China represented the “bare minimum” of what the international community should do in response to the bloody crackdown by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
“The countries that chose to veto the resolution will have to offer their own explanations to the Syrian people, and to all others who are fighting for freedom and human rights around the world,” Mrs Clinton said in the Dominican Republic, where she was on a visit.
On Monday Russia and China blocked a European-drafted resolution urging Syria to halt its crackdown on protest. The vote came after months of disagreement between the US and European council members on the one hand and Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa on the other about how to deal with Syria, where the UN estimates at least 2,700 civilians have died since the crackdown began in March.
“The United States and our European allies have made very clear where we stand on this issue,” Mrs Clinton said – (Reuters)