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Saudi Arabia Acts at U.N. Security Council to Denounce Assad | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Russia Ambassador Vitaly Churkin is joined by Venezuelan Ambassador Rafael Ramirez as Russia vetoes a French-Spanish resolution on Syria at the U.N. headquarters, October 8, 2016 (AFP Photo/Dominick Reuter)


Riyadh-Saudi Ambassador to the U.N. Abdallah Al-Mouallimi revealed that his country would present a letter to the Security Council demanding the cessation of fighting and air assaults in Syria’s Aleppo, after Russia used its veto against a French draft resolution demanding an end to the bombings on the city.

Mouallimi said a draft resolution is being outlined to observe all human rights violations committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people.

The ambassador added that the text of the resolution, which would be presented in the next few weeks, includes a complete report with numbers and statistics showing the regime’s violations.

“The report will inform the international community about the dimension of human destruction conducted by the Assad regime,” Mouallimi said.

Commenting on the decision of Egypt to support a Russian draft resolution last Saturday, the Saudi diplomat described Cairo’s behavior as “painful,” adding: “The Egyptian vote represents the Egyptian position and not the Arab one.”

On Saturday, Egypt voted for both the French and Russian draft resolutions on Syria.

However, the U.N. Security Council failed to pass any of the two separate texts after Moscow foiled the Paris proposal demanding an end to the bombings on Aleppo, while Russia’s draft failed to receive the minimum required votes.

Mouallimi said: “It was painful to see that the Senegal and Malaysian positions were closer to the Arab consensus on Syria compared to that of an Arab representative.”

Following the U.N. Security Council session held in New York, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry issued an official statement including clarifications from the country’s Ambassador to the U.N. Amr Abul Atta regarding the two draft resolutions.

“Egypt backs all efforts aimed at stopping the Syrian people’s tragedy. It voted for both resolutions based on their content, not political bidding that has become a hindrance to the Security Council’s work,” the statement said.

The Egyptian ambassador blamed what he called “differences” among the Security Council’s permanent members for the body’s failure to take effective decisions on Syria.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul Gheit expressed his disappointment at the U.N. council for failing to reach a unified position regarding a ceasefire in Aleppo to allow urgent humanitarian aid, in addition to evacuating the sick and wounded from the city.