Last minute attempts at diplomacy at the UN Security Council

Despite the differences this is eerily similar to the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion with all the lies, the activities of the UN, inspectors and so on.

But minds are made up.

UNSC: US & Russia present rival resolutions on Douma probe

https://www.rt.com/news/423751-un-syria-resolutions-vote/

Russia has vetoed a US-sponsored resolution on the alleged chemical incident in Syria in a UN Security Council vote. Two consecutive Russian-proposed drafts then failed to get the necessary minimum votes.

The US draft was designed to fail and thus “justify” unauthorized action in Syria, Russia’s UN envoy said. “If you made a decision to carry out an illegal military endeavour, we hope that you will come to your senses. You will be responsible for it yourselves,” Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, warned.

The US-sponsored resolution has received 12 votes in favor, two against and one abstention. As Russia used its veto right, the resolution was not adopted. The first Russian-sponsored resolution did not get the minimum nine votes needed to pass, with six votes for, seven against and two abstentions.

Russia then proposed another resolution, based on an earlier draft by Sweden, which voices support for the new OPCW probe into the Douma incident. The UNSC meeting was suspended for consultations on Sweden's request, before putting the resolution to vote. The subsequent vote garnered five votes in support of the resolution (Russia, China, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan and Bolivia), four votes against (the US, the UK, France and Poland) and six abstentions. A resolution requires at least nine votes, with no vetoes from Russia, China, the UK, France or the US, to pass.

Nebenzia said the US resolution, despite Washington claiming to take Moscow’s concerns into consideration, was effectively an attempt to resurrect the deprecated Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). Even if the US project was adopted, it would take months to implement, the diplomat said, adding that the draft was a “provocative step” that had “nothing to do with the desire to investigate the Douma incident.” He said it was obviously designed to fail in order to serve as a justification for unauthorized military action against Syria.

“Why do you need the attribution mechanism, if you’ve already named the perpetrators before any investigation?” Nebenzia said, referring to blatant accusations against Damascus coming from the US and its allies.

US envoy Nikki Haley claimed that the Moscow-sponsored document would breach the principle of impartiality and give Russia a tool to “choose investigators” and influence the probe by other means. During the meeting, Haley, as well other members of the UNSC, such as the UK and France, again pinned the blame for the alleged incident on Damascus, accusing Moscow of “shielding” Syria’s President Bashar Assad.

China has supported the Russian-sponsored draft resolution, stating that it would be a great improvement over the previous UN-sponsored investigative bodies for Syria. The Russian project would allow for a “robust on-site investigation, ensure procedure impartiality,” which would be able to make “credible conclusions,” China said, expressing regrets that the draft was not adopted.

Russia and the US have separately requested a vote on their draft resolutions on Douma. The alleged attack was reported on Saturday by anti-government groups, which claimed that the Syrian Army dropped a chlorine-filled munition on the area, affecting dozens of civilians. However, no solid facts on the purported incident have emerged yet.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

‘We hope you come to your senses’: Russia warns US against illegal Syria strike

RT,

10 April, 2018

The US' reaction to the alleged chemical incident in the town of Douma has clearly shown it was the long-sought pretext to attack Syria, which was finally provided by the “White Helmets’ provocateurs,” the Russian UN envoy said.

The alleged chemical incident in Douma was only beneficial for the militants, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said, urging his Western counterparts to explain why Damascus would decide to do so. The purported attack was reported on Saturday, amid the evacuation of militants from the besieged town.

“This provocation was like a breeze of the fresh air needed by militants who received such timely support from the US and other Western countries,” Nebenzia said at the UNSC meeting on Tuesday. He warned the US and its allies against launching a military action in Syria, bypassing the UN.

“If you made a decision to carry out an illegal military endeavor, we hope, hope that you will come to your senses. You will be responsible for it yourselves,” Nebenzia said.

The allegation of a chemical attack, pushed by the pro-militant sources, has been eagerly supported by the US and other Western countries, who squarely pinned the blame for the unverified incident on Damascus. Russian military specialists, in the meantime, visited the site of the purported incident, which was surrendered by the militants, and found no signs of a chemical attack or any victims of it.

Nebenzia has called for supporting the international chemical watchdog’s investigation on the ground in Syria before jumping to any conclusions. However, he believes that those seeking to topple the legitimate government of Syrian President Bashar Assad would not wait for the results of the investigation, claiming they are instead seeking to launch a strike.

“You don’t want to hear that no signs of a chemical attack have been found in Douma. You've only sought a pretext and it was eagerly provided by the White Helmets’ provocateurs,” Nebenzia said.