Russia Says Won't Back Any Call for Assad to Go as New U.N. Resolution Circulated
European and Arab nations on Friday circulated a new draft resolution on Syria at the U.N. Security Council calling for backing for an Arab League plan under which President Bashar al-Assad would have to stand down.
Morocco presented a draft resolution to the 15-nation body -- drawn up by Arab states with Britain, France and Germany -- that seeks to end months of U.N. deadlock over Syria.
Russia and China vetoed a previous European resolution in October, accusing the West of seeking regime change.
"I think we have the chance today to open a new chapter on Syria," said Germany's UN ambassador Peter Wittig as he entered Friday's talks.
The draft, which still faces days of talks amid doubts from Russia and its allies, says the council "fully supports" an Arab League plan released last weekend under which Assad would hand over powers to a deputy so that new elections can be held.
The text "encourages" all states to follow sanctions imposed by the Arab League against Syria in November, but contains no mandatory action.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said earlier in Moscow that his country would not support any measure which orders Assad to leave office, Russian media reported.
Diplomats said they hoped for a vote within days. Official talks on the resolution are only expected to start on Monday however. Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani are to brief the council Tuesday about the Syria plan.
Earlier on Friday, Gatilov said Russia would not support any Security Council resolution calling on Assad to go, warning that an early vote on a new Western-backed text was doomed to failure.
"We cannot support any U.N. resolution calling for the support of Assad's resignation," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told Russian news agency Interfax, adding that a quick vote on the Western-Arab draft was "destined for failure".
The new draft contains strong backing to an Arab League initiative for ending a crisis that the United Nations estimates has claimed more than 5,400 lives.
Nations behind the measures -- which besides Britain, France, Germany include Arab nations such as Morocco and Qatar -- have been pushing for a U.N. Security Council vote next week.
Gatilov said a quick vote "was destined to failure because we have already clearly expressed our position, as have our Chinese partners."
Showing little movement from Russia's initial tough stance on the measure, Gatilov also criticized the resolution for leaving open the threat of sanctions and even possible military involvement should Assad fail to quickly meet its demands.
Russia and China placed a rare double veto on the first draft resolution last year, which placed the blame for the violence directly on Assad.
Moscow still enjoys close trade ties with its Soviet-era ally, signing a new military jet delivery contract with Damascus this month and still leasing one of its ports for its navy.
Russia has proposed its own draft resolution that assigns equal blame for the violence on both Assad and the opposition, an option dismissed by the West.
The Western-backed draft resolution, obtained by Agence France Presse, "condemns the continued widespread and gross violations of human rights" and makes a new call for an immediate halt to the government crackdown.
It also hints at sanctions, stating that it "takes note" of Arab League economic measures ordered on November 27 and "encourages all states to adopt similar steps and fully to cooperate with the League of Arab States in the implementation of its measures".
Source: Agence France Presse
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