Russia rejects as unacceptable the text of a Western-backed UN Security Council resolution on Syria and will use its veto if the draft is brought to a vote later Thursday, a deputy foreign minister said.
“If they decide this (a vote on Thursday) – knowing that for us the text is unacceptable – then we will not allow it to pass,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency.
Gatilov added he did not expect there to be a vote as soon as Thursday: “The process of consultations is only just starting and should take some time,” he said.
“As a whole, their resolution is unbalanced and foresees that obligations should only be fulfilled by the Syrian government. Practically nothing is said about the obligations of the opposition,” he said.
He objected that the resolution links an extension of the mandate of the UN mission in Syria — which Russia supports – with the introduction of sanctions if the Syrian government does not fulfil certain conditions.
“We will try to move to a constructive text for a possible draft resolution which can reflect the true situation,” Gatilov said.
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