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Russia says will not back U. N. resolution on Syria

04 October 2011 20:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Russia will not support a European-drafted U.N. resolution on Syria, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, calling the draft "unacceptable" but not revealing whether Moscow would veto it, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told Interfax news agency that Russia refused to back the text because it opened the door for punitive sanctions against Syria.

"We cannot support such a text," Gatilov was quoted as saying. "It is unacceptable because it includes the possibility of imposing sanctions against Syria."

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said a compromise reached late on Monday on a resolution had now broken down, with Moscow vowing to deploy its veto.

"The latest news on Syria is that once again Russia has threatened to use its veto," Juppe told parliamentâ€™s foreign affairs committee.

The 15-nation U.N. Security Council is due to vote on Tuesday at 5 p.m. EDT on the resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assadâ€™s six-month-old crackdown on protesters demanding an end to his 11-year rule.

The United Nations says at least 2,700 civilians have been killed in the unrest, which Syria blames on foreign-backed armed gangs who it says have killed 700 security forces personnel.

Gatilov said Moscow also opposes the draft resolution because it fails to include a clause calling on powers not to become involved in internal Syrian affairs and calling for a dialogue between Assad and demonstrators.

Juppe said France was hopeful Russia could be talked around but he also felt the current resolution did not go far enough.

"In my view the text we put through is not sufficient," he said. "It is minimalist, but we accepted it so that we could reach a consensus. There has been a change in attitude and we hope we can convince the Russians."

Juppe said one thing Russia wanted added, which France categorically refused, was to have the regime and rebels condemned equally in the resolution.

"There is a specific point that is unacceptable and I have instructed my UN ambassador on this and that is that we put the regime and the rebels on the same level," Juppe said.

France has been one of the strongest voices pushing for a U.N. resolution to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has imposed an arms embargo on Syria, said on Tuesday he would set out Ankaraâ€™s plans for further sanctions after he visits a Syrian refugee camp inside Turkey in the coming days.