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British FM warns of deteriorating situation in Syria following UN vote

19 July 2012 23:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. British foreign secretary William Hague on Thursday warned of increasing violence in Syria after a Western-proposed draft resolution was vetoed in the UN for the third time, APA reports.

Hague strongly criticized the veto by Russia and China on imposing sanctions on Syrian government in the UN Security Council, saying that the situation in the country is "desperately serious" and "getting worse by the day."

"What is happening in Syria is a tragedy for its entire people and a threat to international peace and security," Hague said.

However, posts online of British netizens have seen a majority of opposition towards their government’s stances, as they expressed dissatisfaction that their government is meddling with the Middle East issue and being a "lapdog" of the United States.

Russia and China, two permanent members of the UN Security Council, wielded veto power over a draft resolution on Syria.

The draft demands extension of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) for a period of 45 days, and threatens non-military sanctions by quoting Chapter VII of the UN Charter if the Syrian government fails to pull out troops and heavy weapons from populated areas.

The unadopted resolution received eleven votes in favor, two against and two abstentions.