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Russia and China Blast UN Human Rights Council for Attempting to Start War on Syria
4 December 2011
Russia and China blasted the United Nations Human Rights Council’s emergency session on Syria today for its attempt to push an immediate Libya-style war against President Bashar al-Assad and Syria. The emergency UNHRC meeting was called to vote up a resolution that would impose stiff sanctions, and demand that Syria agree to a broad range of foreign interventions, from Arab League and United Nations observers, to setting up internal tribunals to put members of the Syrian military on trial for attacks on civilians. UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay called for the Council to demand that Syria be brought before the International Criminal Court, but this was rejected — for now — by the member countries. Lyndon LaRouche called the UNHRC session "diplomatic prostitution." The resolution was voted up by 37 members of the UNHRC, led by the British and the Obama administration, but with Russia, China, Ecuador ,and Cuba voting against the resolution, and six countries abstaining. The resolution, which followed a scathing, one-sided report by a special commission that accused the government of Syria of "crimes against humanity," was nothing but a step toward using Syria as a flashpoint for the British Empire’s thermonuclear war against Asia. Russia condemned the report completely in a Foreign Ministry statement that said, "The positions adopted in the document, which include the veiled hint of the possibility of foreign military intervention under the pretext of defending the Syrian people, are unacceptable to the Russian side." "Unfortunately," it continued, "the draft resolution presented by Western countries to the Human Rights Councils special meeting was politicized and one-sided. The latest steps by the Syrian authorities to stabilize the situation, carry out reforms in the country and launch a national dialogue were not reflected in "Russia holds a fundamental position against the use of human rights mechanisms for interference in internal affairs...." Russia’s envoy to the UNHRC, Valery Loshchinin, said, "We would like to warn against illegal interference by outside forces even under the pretext of protecting human rights. This will have serious and unforeseen consequences." He called on all sides in Syria to halt violence. "We hear that the conflict in Syria continues to be fueled by outside forces, armed and terrorist groups being organised and supplied with weapons and money from abroad," he added. China’s envoy, He Yafei, also attacked the attempt to use the UNHRC to threaten military action. "...Member states of the United Nations should follow the principles and purposes of the UN and refrain from resolving differences through force or threat of force." The envoy also denounced the resolution for attempting to use the UNHRC to force a UN Security Council resolution, which violates the HRC’s charter. That is exactly what the Obama administration was doing according to the Reuters news agency. The U.S. ambassador, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, told Reuters that the resolution "set the stage" for further action by the UN and other institutions. And when asked if this included the International Criminal Court, she replied: "Absolutely, including the ICC if the Security Council chooses to refer this matter." |