Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


    November 22, 2011

UN Members Condemn Syria Crackdown

   Margaret Besheer | United Nations

   The U.N. General Assembly committee that deals with human rights issues
   has condemned the situation in Syria, where a brutal government
   crackdown on dissent is entering its ninth month.
   The resolution in the General Assembly's Third Committee expresses
   concern about President Bashar al-Assad's failure to implement an Arab
   League plan to halt the violence, which the United Nations says has
   killed more than 3,500 people.
   The measure also strongly condemns what it says are 'continued grave
   and systematic human rights violations by the Syrian authorities,'
   including arbitrary executions, excessive use of force and the killing
   of protesters and human rights defenders.
   Despite a bid by the Syrian envoy to block the vote, the non-binding
   measure was adopted with a comfortable margin, with 122 of the nations
   present voting in favor, and only 13 voting against. A significant
   number of countries - 41 - abstained.
   Some 61 countries co-sponsored the measure, including six Arab states
   and Turkey. Syria was the only Arab nation to vote against the
   resolution and only three - Lebanon, Algeria and Yemen - abstained.
   Germany's Ambassador Peter Wittig said Tuesday's action was significant
   because it had wide support and sent a strong message to the Syrian
   authorities.
   'It is a strong, broad-based voice that calls to stop the human rights
   violations and this is a message that the regime in Damascus better
   listen to because it shows how isolated the regime in Damascus is,'
   said Wittig.
   Syria's Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari said the resolution was about
   politics, not human rights, and called on member states to reject it.
   He is heard here through a translator defending the current situation
   in Syria.
   'The actions undertaken by my country are designed to preserve its
   sovereignty, improve its society and pressing ahead with the march of
   reforms declared by my country," said Ja'afari. "This march enjoys the
   trust and backing of the Syrian people.'
   Syria received support in voting against the motion by friends such as
   Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela. But its closest and most
   powerful ally, Russia, abstained, as did China.
   Human Rights Watch U.N. Director Philippe Bolopion said the strong
   support in the General Assembly should be a message to the 15-member
   U.N. Security Council, where internal divisions have prevented a
   sanctions resolution on Syria.
   'The General Assembly sent a very powerful message today and showed
   that the paralysis of the Security Council on this issue should not be
   misconstrued as representing the opinion of the general membership of
   the U.N. Really, the members of the U.N. General Assembly stood up and
   said that the violence had to end in Syria, the killing had to end,'
   said Bolopion.
   Bolopion noted, as did some diplomats, that the abstentions by Russia
   and China and Brazil's 'yes' vote could be signaling a shift on Syria.
   Diplomats said they did not think Russia's abstention, in particular,
   would be well-received in Damascus.
   Join the conversation on our social journalism site - [1]Middle East
   Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on [2]Twitter and discuss them
   on our [3]Facebook page.

References

   1. http://middleeastvoices.com/
   2. http://twitter.com/VOAMiddleEast
   3. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667?%20%20%20%20v=wall