US official: ‘The Syrian people deserve more from the Security Council’
According to the always insightful Security Council Report, the Council may pass a watered-down resolution on Syria as early as tomorrow. The "sovereignty bloc" on the Council–Russia and China, often joined by India, Brazil and South Africa–has apparently picked the draft text clean of the harshest measures, including targeted sanctions and discussion of a possible ...
According to the always insightful Security Council Report, the Council may pass a watered-down resolution on Syria as early as tomorrow. The "sovereignty bloc" on the Council--Russia and China, often joined by India, Brazil and South Africa--has apparently picked the draft text clean of the harshest measures, including targeted sanctions and discussion of a possible referral to the International Criminal Court. But even the spare remaining text doesn't appear safe from the veto threat:
According to the always insightful Security Council Report, the Council may pass a watered-down resolution on Syria as early as tomorrow. The "sovereignty bloc" on the Council–Russia and China, often joined by India, Brazil and South Africa–has apparently picked the draft text clean of the harshest measures, including targeted sanctions and discussion of a possible referral to the International Criminal Court. But even the spare remaining text doesn’t appear safe from the veto threat:
Over the past six months Council members have placed a premium on unity on Syria especially with the perception that differences over Libya may have affected the Council’s ability to effectively address the Syrian situation. However, even though the drafters have tried to address the concerns raised by a number of other members, the vote may still result in abstentions and even possible vetoes. It appears that the supporters of the resolution feel that it is now important for the Council to send a signal to Damascus, even at the risk of a veto.
A U.S. official offered me this assessment:
The Security Council is likely to vote tomorrow afternoon on a European draft that–if it passes–keeps the spotlight on the Syrian regime’s brutality, and is in that sense a positive step forward. But the US believes the Syrian people deserve more from the Security Council.
David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist
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