UN Security Council discusses new draft resolution on Syria

The UN Security Council discussed last night a revised draft resolution on Syria, submitted by Russia''s UN delegation on Friday 23 December 2011. The Security Council members argued about the details of the draft resolution on Syria, after suicide car bombers lent a grim new face to its conflict by killing 44 in Damascus. They strongly condemned the "terrorist attacks" and sent its condolences to the families of the victims and Syrian people. European and US officials want the Security Council to impose an arms embargo and other sanctions on Syria''s government because of its nine-month-old crackdown on protesters, which UN officials say has killed thousands. Western powers say government security forces have been responsible for most of the violence. But Russia wants any resolution to be even-handed. "If the requirement is that we drop all reference to violence coming from extreme opposition, that''s not going to happen," UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said in New York after Russia submitted a revised draft resolution to the council. "If they expect us to have arms embargo, that''s not going to happen," he said. "We know what arms embargo means these days. It means that - we saw it in Libya - that you cannot supply weapons to the government but everybody else can supply weapons to various opposition groups." Meanwhile, German Ambassador Peter Wittig said the latest Russian draft did not go far enough. "We need to put the weight of the council behind the Arab League," he said. "That includes the demands to release political prisoners, that includes a clear signal for accountability for those who have perpetrated human rights violations."