Russia and China will veto a Western-backed UN Security Council draft resolution that calls for sanctions against Syria, Press TV reports.
The 15 members of the UN Security Council are scheduled to meet later on Wednesday to vote on the draft that proposes sanctions against Damascus under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which allows for sanctions ranging from economic measures to an arms embargo and could also authorize the use of military force if necessary.
“We will see, I made it very clear we are going to vote against this resolution,” Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters in New York on July 16.
He also called on the Council members to extend the mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS).
“If people want to attach their individual political agendas, it means they do not want this mission to continue.”
The 90-day mandate of the UN observer mission ends on July 20.
Meanwhile, UK Ambassador to the UN Mark Lyall Grant said Russia and China "still expressed objections to Chapter 7" measures against Syria.
On Tuesday, Chinese envoy to the UN Li Baodong said Beijing had called for more negotiating time on the issue.
However, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said, “The logic of the draft resolution that the British have tabled and which we strongly support is that there needs to be something new. There needs to be pressure applied under Chapter 7.”
The anti-Syria Western governments have been calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. However, Russia and China remain strongly opposed to the Western drive to oust Assad.
On February 4, Russia and China vetoed a Western-backed draft resolution on Syria at the UN Security Council. The two countries rejected the draft as “unbalanced.”
Moscow and Beijing also vetoed a European-drafted UN Security Council resolution against Syria on October 5, 2011.
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