Moscow Thwarts British Resolution on Srebrenica Without a Veto

The first round of consultations on the Russian resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina has begun in New York, and judging by the draft resolution, Moscow may have found a way to thwart the British resolution, which emphasizes genocide, without formally casting a veto, writes Belgrade's "Politika", reports the Patria News Agency.

The paper states that the Russian document is of great importance to Belgrade because it will now force the British resolution to change significantly in order for London to count on its adoption in the Security Council.

According to "Politika's" source familiar with the functioning of the UN, the texts of the two resolutions will now be harmonized as much as possible.

"Britain has no interest in backing down on important issues such as the reference to genocide, while Russia, on the other hand, will not allow the text to pass in its original form. The Russian text is more acceptable to a larger number of countries because it supports an international peace agreement and treats all victims equally," the text states.

It is assumed that Russia and Britain will not be able to reach an agreement, and then they will have to resort to a presidential statement issued by the President of the Security Council, which would represent a kind of compromise, as it must be acceptable to all permanent members of that body.

"A presidential statement is not a binding act, but it still has some influence," the Belgrade paper notes.

Another possibility, "Politika" learns, is that Britain and Russia will clash if the West insists on its position, and in that case, since the resolution cannot pass in the Security Council, "they will try to push it through the General Assembly."

"It could also happen that the British proposal is put to a vote, which might be accepted by a simple majority of all Security Council members, but then the British would face a Russian veto. However, it is difficult to believe that they will try to force Russia into a veto," the paper assesses.

The text notes that, theoretically, both resolutions can be on the agenda of the Security Council session, with the caveat that only one vote can be taken, meaning only on one document.

"Usually, the vote is for the document that has a higher probability of majority support. One of the possible outcomes is that both sides abandon their resolutions since they cannot pass in the Security Council. It seems that Moscow may have found a way to thwart the British resolution without formally casting a veto," "Politika" assesses.