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Moscow cries foul over UN human rights resolution on Syria

Arab World Materials 24 March 2012 19:24 (UTC +04:00)
Russia has sharply criticized the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution on Syria, adopted on Friday, saying that it “went against the international efforts on settling the conflict,” Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, RIA Novosti reported.
Moscow cries foul over UN human rights resolution on Syria

Russia has sharply criticized the UN Human Rights Council's resolution on Syria, adopted on Friday, saying that it "went against the international efforts on settling the conflict," Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, RIA Novosti reported.

"The adoption of the biased and inadequate resolution goes against the efforts of the international community on stabilizing the situation in Syria," the ministry said in a statement.

The resolution that strongly condemned the "sharply escalating widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities," was adopted on Friday by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council. A total of 41 states-members supported the document, while Russia, China, and Cuba voted against it.

As the resolution puts the blame only on the Syrian government, it does not make any demands to the armed opposition, the ministry said.

Russian diplomats also said they were working on the amendments that would balance the text of the document, including those condemning the recent terrorist attacks in Damascus and Aleppo which Moscow viewed as "provocations" designed to disrupt the reconciliation efforts. The Council's members however dismissed Moscow's proposals.

According to the UN estimates, over 8,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of an uprising against Assad a year ago. Syrian human rights groups have estimated the death toll at 9,100, while the government says some 2,000 police and security officers have been killed by members of "armed terrorist gangs."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who will hold talks with the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan on Sunday in Moscow, will urge to stop funding opposition and support its political ambitions, presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Saturday.

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