Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria

Russia and China have used their veto right and blocked a draft UN resolution that threatened sanctions against Syria if President Bashar Assad’s government continued violence against the opposition in the country.

Prepared by the European members of the UN Security Council and supported by the US, the draft resolution stipulated that the Assad’s regime should face the possibility of tough sanctions if it fails to stop its crackdown on opposition within 30 days since the adoption of the resolution.

The resolution was rejected late Tuesday by a vote of 9-2 with four abstentions.

Russia, which stands firmly against any mention of sanctions citing the example of Libya where the NATO countries largely overstepped the UN mandate in a military operation against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, said the text of the document was ‘unacceptable’ despite several changes to the draft.

Russian envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin said after the session of the UN Security Council that the draft document reflected a ‘confrontational’ approach toward the resolution of the political crisis in Syria.

‘The document did not contain provisions on the unacceptability of an external military intervention,’ Churkin said.

The UN says over 2,000 people have died since the start of the protests in March.

On Sep 21, US President Barack Obama urged the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions against Syria over its crackdown on opposition protesters.

UN Security Council to consider Palestinian bid

The UN Security Council begins consultations Monday on Palestine's application for full membership of the world body, although a vote on the historic bid isn't expected for weeks

The United States has already threatened to veto the move, insisting that only direct Palestinian-Israeli talks can set up a Palestinian state.

US President Barack Obama says the UN bid is an unrealistic shortcut that will not produce real and lasting peace on the ground between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The mediating foursome of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia has been urgently trying to get both sides back to the negotiating table.

On Friday, the Quartet offered a counterpoint to the unilateral Palestinian bid at the UN, calling for new peace talks to begin within a month with both sides committing to seeking a final deal this year.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, riding a wave of popular support unseen in the West Bank since the late Yasser Arafat, is ruling out new talks without a "complete halt" to Israeli settlement building.

The Palestinians, who pulled out of the last direct talks in September 2010 after a settlement moratorium was lifted, argue that Israel has already annexed Jerusalem and has been stealing land for the past 20 years.

Since it occupied the West Bank in 1967, Israel has built more than 130 settlements across the territory which are home to more than 300,000 residents. Another 200,000 Israelis live in settlement neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem.

Interior ministry figures show the majority of West Bank settlers live in eight large settlements which Israel wants to annex in any final peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Israel considers both sectors of Jerusalem to be its "eternal, indivisible" capital and does not view construction in the east to be settlement activity.

The Palestinians, however, believe east Jerusalem should be the capital of their future state and are fiercely opposed to the extension of Israeli control over the sector.

Abbas made history in his people's long quest for statehood as he formally asked the United Nations on Friday to admit Palestine as a full member state, handing over a formal application to UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

He returned Sunday to Ramallah, directly to his Muqataa presidential compound, receiving a hero's welcome from jubilant crowds applauding wildly, waving the Palestinian flag and the yellow banner of his Fatah party.

Abbas told them he had conveyed their dreams of statehood to the international community with his address to the UN General Assembly and formal submission of the membership bid.

"We went to the United Nations carrying your hopes, your dreams, your ambitions, your suffering, your vision and your need for an independent Palestinian state," he said.

"I have no doubt that the whole free world from one end to the other received what we told them about you and your dreams with all due respect."

The United States, a staunch Israeli ally, is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, and the White House has repeatedly said Obama will use that power.

The US president has worked hard to stay on the right side of the Arab Spring and will be hoping he doesn't have to.

To pass, the Palestinians need the support of nine out of the 15 members of the Security Council. Six have already thrown their weight behind the bid, seven have not revealed their decision, while Colombia says it will abstain.

Quartet urges revival of Mideast peace talks

The United States and other powers have called for the Palestinians and Israel to resume direct peace talks within a month and commit to seeking a deal by the end of 2012.

The Quartet of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations acted after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally submitted his request to the United Nations for Palestine to be admitted as a full member on Friday.

The United States has vowed to veto the unilateral bid at the UN Security Council, arguing that the resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is the only real path to peace and statehood.

Direct talks stalled in September 2010 when Israel failed to renew a partial freeze on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, but the Quartet urged both sides on Friday to return to the table and plotted out a path forward.

"We urge both parties to take advantage of this opportunity to get back to talks," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"The Quartet proposal represents the firm conviction of the international community that a just and lasting peace can only come through negotiations between the parties," she said, alluding to US opposition to the Palestinian bid.

Quartet special envoy Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, said the proposal was "the only way in the end we deal with the difficulties around the table and in negotiations."

In response to the latest Quartet peace blueprint, the Palestinians urged Israel to seize the opportunity while an Israeli official said Tel Aviv was ready to resume negotiations.

"We hope Israel will seize the opportunity offered by the Quartet," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.

"We are ready to assume our responsibilities according to the road map and international law, but Israel needs to assume its own and end settlement activity" in the occupied West Bank, he added.

A senior Israeli official said his side was "currently studying the statement. We are ready to resume the negotiations

Barack Obama 'will veto' Palestinian UN bid

Barack Obama has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he will veto his bid for UN membership, as he tried to persuade him to drop the plans.

But Mahmoud Abbas vowed to press ahead during a meeting with the US president, the White House said afterwards.

Mr Obama had told the UN General Assembly a Palestinian state could only be achieved through talks with Israel.

But French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned a veto could spark another cycle of violence in the region.

Diplomatic efforts for Palestinian UN membership have intensified, with Mr Abbas preparing to submit a written application to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Friday.

Thousands of people rallied in the West Bank on Wednesday in support of the move.

If Mr Ban approves the request, the Security Council will examine it and vote on it. In order to pass, it would need the backing of nine out of 15 council members, with no vetoes from the permanent members.

However, Mr Obama had indicated the US will use its veto, leaving Western diplomats trying to find ways to put off the voting process to buy more time.
And the US president made his position clear to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Abbas during meetings late on Wednesday.

"We would have to oppose any action at the UN Security Council including, if necessary, vetoing," White House national security council spokesman Ben Rhodes said after Mr Obama met Mr Abbas.

Mr Netanyahu told reporters that Mr Obama deserved a "badge of honour" for his defence of Israel.

However, senior Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath argued that Palestinian UN membership was "morally, legally and politically acceptable in every way".

Mr Sarkozy urged a compromise, suggesting the General Assembly give the Palestinians enhanced status as a non-member state to allow a clear timeline for talks - a month to start negotiations, six months to deal with borders and security and a year to finalise a "definitive agreement".

A vote on enhanced status - enjoyed by others such as the Vatican - would not require a Security Council recommendation but a simple majority in the General Assembly, where no veto is possible.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said any UN vote on the issue was in any case "several weeks" away.

Mr Obama had earlier told the General Assembly: "Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN.

"There is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades.

"Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians - not us - who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem."

Palestinians say their bid for statehood has been inspired by the Arab Spring, and is the result of years of failed peace talks.

In the West Bank on Wednesday, schools and government offices were shut to allow for demonstrations backing the UN membership bid in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus and Hebron.

While UN recognition would have largely symbolic value, the Palestinians argue it would strengthen their hand in peace talks.

Mr Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina, said after Mr Obama's speech: "The end of the Israeli occupation and a Palestinian state are the only path to peace.

"We will agree to return to the negotiations the minute that Israel agrees to end the settlements and the lines of 1967."

In his meeting with Mr Obama, Mr Netanyahu said direct negotiation was the only way to achieve a stable Middle East peace. The last round of talks broke down a year ago.

The "quartet" of US, European, Russian and UN mediators aims to give the two sides a year to reach a framework agreement, based on Mr Obama's vision of borders fashioned from Israel's pre-1967 boundary, with agreed land swaps.


Efforts are now reportedly under way to provide a basis for resumed peace negotiations, but work by mediators has yet to produce guidelines for the resumption of talks.

PM leaves for New York tomorrow to attend UNGA

The officials said India's priorities in the current session of the UNGA would include continuing its efforts for reform of the world body with a view to creating an equitable system that is reflective of contemporary realities.

"We feel that unless comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council is undertaken, the process of UN reforms would only be piecemeal and incomplete."We along with the G-4 and other like-minded countries would continue to work proactively, to maintain the momentum for UN Security Council reforms," Mathai had said on Saturday, while briefing reporters about the visit.

During the session, India will push for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) that will provide a global normative framework against terrorism. Officials said the country will reiterate the need for strong international cooperation and collective action against terrorism.India would call for greater mobilisation of resources, including honouring of ODA commitments, and policy action for attaining the MDGs.

The country will also actively engage with UN member states on human rights issues and to strengthen the UN's humanitarian operations.India will also be actively participating in the UN high- level event on Nuclear Safety and Security which will be held on September 22.On the sidelines, the G4 countries would meet to work out a common plan of action.

US:Time for India, China to revisit their position on Syria

The Obama Administration has urged both India and China to "revisit their position" on Syria even as US intensified its international campaign against the authoritarian regime. "We are certainly speaking to them (India and China) in New York," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nulandtold, referring to the talks being held in this regard at the UN headquarters in New York.

"We are speaking to them in Capitals. I think our message publicly has been clear. The Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said in her interview that she thought it was time for India and China to revisit their position. So those conversations continue," Nuland said, but did not elaborate what kind of conversations the US was holding with these two countries.

She said there were countries that were still trading oil and gas with Syria and countries that have not renounced their willingness to send arms to Syria.

"So we are working to strengthen that coalition and continue to ensure that the message from the international community has teeth. Nobody is satisfied with the situation in Syria. It's abhorrent and repulsive, and our efforts will continue," Nuland said.

she added, and frankly, we continue to believe that the UN Security Council ought to more strongly condemn the violence than it has. We are working on more sanction measures, and we will continue to do so."