U.N. General Assembly adopts resolution condemning Syrian president Assad's forces

[pampango]

1. Aljazeera: UN condemns Syrian government for violence

The UN General Assembly has voted to pass a resolution condemning the Syrian government for human rights violations and call for a transitional government.

The measure was approved by a vote of 107 to 12, with 59 member states abstaining. That was a tighter margin than in August of last year, when 133 states voted to approve a similar resolution. Russia fiercely opposed the resolution as a potential obstacle to peace talks.

The resolution strongly condemns the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on two points: the escalation of heavy weapons on civilian areas, and what Qatar, which drafted the statement, calls systematic violations of human rights.

Thursday's resolution expresses grave concern that the Syrian government is using chemical weapons, calls for unfettered access to UN investigators, and pushes again for a Syrian-led political transition, with the opposition Syrian National Coalition as the representatives of the Syrian people.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/05/2013515153154534102.html

A vote in the General Assembly may carry some moral authority but we all know that the real action is on the Security Council.