CHINA, RUSSIA VETO U.N. MEASURE ON SYRIA

February 10, 2012

On February 4, Russia and China issued a joint veto of a UN Security Council Resolution on Syria. The resolution backed an Arab League plan which called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, recall his troops, and begin dialogues that would lead towards democracy. The veto of the resolution, which had the support of the thirteen other members of the Security Council, sparked strong reactions from countries all over the world.

The resolution was in response to a growing crisis in Syria, where an uprising began in March 2011, followed by a cycle of protests and government crackdowns. The UN estimates that over 5,000 people have died in the resulting violence, including an estimated 200 that were killed in an artillery bombardment of Homs the day before the UN Security Council