UN General Assembly adopts Syria resolution

DHAKA: The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Syria, which includes criticism of the Security Council for its failure to act.

The resolution was passed on Friday with 133 votes in favour, 12 against, and 31 abstentions.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN chief, said before the vote that the Syria conflict had become a "proxy war" and appealed to the major powers to overcome their rivalry and act to end the violence.

Ban said international players were "arming one side or the other" and that "the immediate interests of the Syrian people must be paramount over any larger rivalries of influence."

The draft resolution denounces Syria for unleashing tanks, artillery, helicopters and warplanes on the people of Aleppo and Damascus. The draft also demands that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad keep its chemical and biological weapons warehoused and under strict control.

It is "deploring the Security Council failure" to act, taking a sweep at Russia and China, which three times have vetoed resolutions that could have opened the door to sanctions on Syria, or even military intervention..

Opposition activists say more than 17,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March, 2011. The government says thousands of troops and security forces have been killed by "armed terrorists", the term it uses for the rebels which are seeking to overthrow Assad.

Ban said Aleppo, Syria`s largest city, had become "the epicentre of a vicious battle between the Syrian government and those who wish to replace it".

He said the reported brutality in the city may amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes.

"Such acts must be investigated and the perpetrators held to account," he said.

Daily battles have raged in some neighbourhoods of Aleppo since July 20, when the armed opposition launched an offensive in the city.

Source: Aljazeera

BDST: 0825 HRS, AUG 4, 2012
SA