Russia and China protect Syria at UN

Russia and China have blocked a resolution of the UN Security Council on Syria, where the opposition has been struggling against President Bashar Assad’s regime for months, Reuters reports.

Ten states supported the resolution, 4 abstained. Russia and China voted against it.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Tuesday that Russia would not support the resolution. It is unacceptable because it lacks points on non-interference in the internal affairs of the state and lacks calls for a political dialogue between the authorities and the opposition.

Attempts to negotiate the resolution's text were fruitless. The UN says that about 2,700 Syrians have died in the clashes.

Russia suggested that the UN Security Council search for a balanced approach to the situation, proposed by Moscow and China, Russian representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said.

The refusal to vote for the document caused disputes between Russian and US representatives to the UN. The US representative to the UN, Suzan Rice, said that the Security Council had ignored the threat to regional security and that some states prefer to trade arms with Syria. The US official has not clarified which states she was talking about.

Churkin denied claims that Russia has arms deals with Damascus.