Russia romps with USA and Europe after another veto at UN

As soon as Russia blocked the Western variant of the resolution on Syria,  which indirectly stipulated a possibility for a military intervention, Russia became the target of the Western rage. Representatives of Western countries cracked down on Russia with furious accusations. The U.S. threatened to bypass the UN Security Council, which, as US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said "had completely ruined the most important task on its agenda this year."

Photo: AP photo

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Moscow immediately returned its own angry remarks. Russia accused the U.S. and its partners of cynicism and hypocrisy. Russian officials also stated that their Western counterparts were not doing anything about the problem of the "militant opposition" in Syria. Unlike the West, Russia, "has not weakened its efforts to find a political solution, not even for a moment", Russian diplomats stated Friday.

Syria itself is now facing chaos and decay. In these conditions, the stock of chemical weapons may fall into the hands of the groups linked to al-Qaeda terrorist network. If it happens, the terrible consequences will threaten not only Syria, but the whole region and perhaps the world.

It has become Russia's third veto in the UN Security Council in nine months. Susan Rice described the move as something "very unfortunate and dangerous." According to her, it is the terrible regime and the members of the UN Security Council, who do not take firm actions against the regime, that made such an unacceptable situation possible.

Rice and other members of the U.S. administration gave to understand that they would now be confronting the regime of Bashar al-Assad bypassing the UN. "We will strengthen the work with a wide range of partners outside the Security Council to exert pressure on the Assad regime and to provide assistance to those in need," Rice said.

An official spokesman for the State Department Peter Ventrell confirmed that the US would be taking measures bypassing the UN. Russia and China have blocked the resolution three times, he said. The US was hoping that Russia and China would change their position, but it did not happen. Since there is no chance for new opportunities, then the US will count on its own strategy. The United States does not intend to give up just because there is no resolution, Ventrell said.

Mark Lyall Grant, a spokesman for Britain - the country that initiated the submission of the resolution - said that his country was "appalled" with the Russian-Chinese veto. "The effect of their actions is to protect a brutal regime. They have chosen to put their national interests ahead of the lives of millions of Syrians," he said.

French Ambassador to the UN Gerard Araud said: "I think that it is now absolutely clear that Russia and China have decided to unconditionally support the Syrian regime. They just want to win time for it, so that the opposition is crushed." Araud also accused Russia of obstructing the direct mission of Annan, because Russia did not accept the means of pressure which he had requested.

Moscow speaks about the cynicism and hypocrisy of the West. Russia is ready to begin the evacuation of its citizens from Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich stated that the attempts of the West to make Russia responsible for the growth of violence in Syria were "absolutely unacceptable coarse insinuations." "Our Western partners should have tried to do at least something to induce the militant opposition to stand on the path of the political regulation of the conflict," the diplomat said.

According to him, European officials were being cynical when they said that the recent unprecedented terrorist attack in Damascus could only confirm the need to put pressure on the Assad regime single-handedly.   

Commenting the intention of the U.S. representatives to bypass the UN, Lukashevich said: "If this kind of statements and plans are elements of real politics, it is quite a signal to all of us to think about how the international community is going to respond to international conflicts."

According to him, Russia had plans to evacuate its citizens from Syria in case the situation continued to aggravate. He assured that the Russian Embassy in Damascus was in close contact with the majority of Russians in this country, including those living in remote areas.

Lukashevich also condemned the sanctions against Rosoboronexport (Russia's defense export company). The House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress approved the sanctions after the vote on Syria at the UN. The diplomat said that Moscow saw it as revenge. "In general, referring to sanctions for any reason - this, of course, evokes rejection," he added.

In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov called the U.S. position on Syria's hypocritical. "They have done nothing to encourage the opposition to engage in contacts with the government," - he tweeted Friday.