Vitaly Churkin (1952- ), Russian Ambassador to the UN
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Russia reiterated its position that it’ll veto a UN Security Council resolution on Syria if it finds it mistaken or if it worsens the conflict there. According to Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, the domestic conflict in Syria could still be resolved, the conflicting parties have to confer, but someone has to initiate negotiations.
After a Security Council meeting on Syria, Ambassador Churkin explained to journalists the differences between the two approaches concerning the Syrian crisis, and related a bit about the atmosphere of the negotiations, saying, “Our Western counterparts conducted themselves very correctly. They were careful to abstain from any critical remarks concerning Russia. I appreciated that. I’ll tell you a little secret… as a result, my statement wasn’t as aggressive as it could’ve been, and the meeting had a much calmer atmosphere than it could’ve had under different circumstances. It created a favourable climate for working on a resolution that would not only overcome the Syrian crisis, but for one that would be consensual as well”.
The diplomatic standoff has persisted through a number of Security Council meetings. After all, the fate of a nation-state and its people are at stake. Right now, there are two draft resolutions on Syria, from Russia and Morocco. The latter, although formally presented by the Moroccan delegation, was prepared with the unofficial participation of France and some Arab countries that aren’t members of the UN Security Council. Morocco is the only Arab country on in the Security Council at present. The Moroccan resolution doesn’t rule out third-party military intervention in Syria. Bluntly speaking, Russia won’t accept that. The resolution also supports a plan suggested by the Arab League that requires President Bashar al-Assad to resign and hand over power to his vice-president.
Ambassador Churkin said, “The Arab League resolution is too over-specific to end the political standoff. It doesn’t only stipulate the creation of a ‘government of national unity’ in Syria, but, for example, it dwells on how this government should interact with the Vice President and what problems it should tackle first. Damascus has already rejected this proposal, so it’s really out of the question to consider it at all. Of course, there isn’t any point in a ‘dialogue’ if you know in advance what the end will be. Naturally, the Arab League has a right to express its opinion. However, we can’t ignore the fact that the UN Security Council just doesn’t have the statutory authority to dictate specific political outcomes, or to force political decisions on other countries, even if they’re in crisis. The Security Council can’t adopt resolutions calling on this King or that Premier to stand down. So, there’s still much to talk about, but it has to be genuine palaver, engaging in dialogue”.
There isn’t such a thing as a unilateral “dialogue”. Churkin said, “Diplomats and politicians alike should talk to their opponents, particularly in times of national crisis. Syria has the potential to get out of this crisis. Opposition forces in Syria must find the political courage to enter into negotiations with the government”. Russia’s ready to host talks between the conflicting Syrian parties in Moscow. The Syrian government confirmed its willingness to take part in such a proposed confab. However, Burhan Ghalioun, the chairman of the Syrian opposition Syrian National Council made several counter-proposals. There’s been no official reply from Moscow and Damascus to his demands. For instance, Ghalioun said that he’d consent to come to Moscow only on the condition that Russia agreed to the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad first. For its part, Moscow insisted that talks between the Syrian factions must go ahead without any preliminary conditions. Yes, Russia does have a list of “conditions”. It won’t support an arms embargo against Syria or even a hint at one. Nor will it approve any use of force, third-party military intervention, or sanctions against Damascus. Russia won’t cross these “red lines”.
2 February 2012
Olga Denisova
Voice of Russia World Service
http://rus.ruvr.ru/2012/02/02/65139125.html
