Russia says will veto Syria aid resolution in current form

[Capt. Obvious]

Source: Reuters

Russia said on Wednesday it would veto a U.N. resolution on humanitarian aid access in Syria in its current form, denouncing the draft as an effort to lay a foundation for military strikes against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Moscow had already dismissed the Western-Arab draft debated in the Security Council on Tuesday as a non-starter, but a senior diplomat's unequivocal condemnation indicated Russia would seek major changes before dropping its opposition.

"Its whole purpose and aim is to create grounds for future military action against the Syrian government if some demands it includes are not met," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said of the draft, according to state-run news agency RIA.

....

At the United Nations on Tuesday, French Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters that Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council Moscow was prepared to work on some kind of resolution on aid access, but not the present draft.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/us-syria-crisis-russia-aid-idUSBREA1B0HN20140212

[pampango]

1. If Russia wants to propose a resolution on humanitarian aid that is less 'one-side', please proceed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow would consider a draft resolution only if it was "not about one-sided accusations" against Syria's government.

The draft condemns rights abuses by Syrian authorities and armed groups, and demands that the government stop all aerial bombardment of cities and towns as well as the indiscriminate use of bombs, rockets and related weaponry. It also condemns "increased terrorist attacks," and calls for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from Syria.

It expresses an intent to impose sanctions on individuals and entities obstructing aid and if certain demands in the resolution are not met within 15 days of its adoption.

If Putin has something with more balanced criticism of both sides, I for one would welcome such a proposal.