Russia vetoes US draft resolution on Syria

NEW YORK, (Patria) - The UN Security Council rejected a Russian draft resolution last night calling for a new expert body to determine responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, reported the AP agency.

The Council stated that the draft required at least nine out of 15 votes, while only six countries approved the text. Seven permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the US, Great Britain, and France, voted against it, while two countries abstained, Beta reported.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley stated that the Russian draft resolution was biased because it would allow Russia to veto the selection of investigators in the new body, thereby blocking its work.

She accused Russia, a close ally of the Syrian authorities, of working more to protect President Bashar al-Assad than for unity in the UN Security Council.

Earlier, Russia vetoed a US draft resolution on Syria concerning the establishment of an investigative mechanism into the use of chemical weapons in Syria following the attack in Douma, where it is suspected that such weapons were used.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia accused the US of wanting a resolution to "justify the use of force against Syria.".

Nebenzia said that the resolution aimed to revive the old investigative body on chemical weapons in Syria. In November, Russia opposed the extension of that body's mandate, stating it was a "puppet in the hands of those against Syrian forces.".

Russia's veto is the 12th veto of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria since the war in that country began in 2011.

Syrian authorities are currently facing threats of military action from Western countries. US President Donald Trump promised a "strong response" to allegations that Syrian authorities used chemical weapons in the attack in Douma, the last rebel stronghold near Damascus.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he would announce a decision on a possible response to the attack in Syria in the coming days, adding that if he decided on action, he would only target the "chemical warehouses" of the Syrian forces, and not their allies Russia and Iran.