Russia and China have vetoed a UN Security Council resolution threatening action against deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests in Syria. The veto sparked the outrage of European nations, which proposed the resolution, and the United States, which said the council had "utterly failed to address an urgent moral challenge."
Nine nations voted late Tuesday for the draft which had called for "targeted measures" if President Bashar Assad pursues his violent crackdown. Russia and China voted against. South Africa, India, Brazil and Lebanon abstained.
According to AFP, Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, stated the European resolution was "based on a philosophy of confrontation." The threat of action was "unacceptable," he added.
According to China, it exercised its veto because the resolution would have "blindly" pressured the Arab nation and not helped. "Some countries submitted a draft resolution to blindly impose pressure and even threatened sanctions against Syria. This would not help to ease the situation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
American envoy Susan Rice called the remarks a "cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people." She urged the council to impose "tough, targeted sanctions" and an arms embargo against Syria.
