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NEW DELHI: India may support a surprise Russian UN resolution on Syria, hoping to prevent a US or EU draft that could make a case for outside intervention in the violence-ridden country. India has come under pressure to take a stronger stand on Syria, both by international organizations and the West. But after Libya, India is opposed to another NATO military intervention.
The Russian resolution takes a sort of 360 degrees view of the situation, condemning both Assad's military action as well as actions by armed opposition groups. Along with other BRIC nations, India has come to the conclusion that the unrest in Syria is being exploited by different interests. For instance, officials tracking Syria note that the violence is now most concentrated in Homs, which is the headquarters for the Muslim Brotherhood.
The death of 27 government soldiers in an attack by the Free Syrian Army, a defector group based and, many suspect armed by Turkey, was the apparent trigger for the resolution, sources said. The Russian UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, was quoted as saying, "We call on violence to be stopped from all sides. We are concerned about weapons smuggling, the armed groups operating in Syria. ... from the outset our assessment of the situation is that various violent groups there are taking advantage of peaceful demonstrators in order to pursue their agenda. So those concerns are reflected in the draft resolution."
Sanctions have been imposed on Assad by the West, Israel, Turkey and the Arab League. The Russian resolution supports the Arab League efforts and has been supported by Lebanon as well. In the UNSC, the Western position has found support by African nations and eastern European countries. Russia and China had together vetoed a proposal by Western countries in October to condemn Assad.
The Free Syrian Army claims to have more than 25,000 members committed to depose President Assad. The US-based Human Rights Watch on Thursday released a report detailing the violence in Syria. After their interviews with defectors from the Syrian army, they concluded there was official complicity in the widespread killings, even identifying some 74 commanders of Assad's army.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said, "India has expressed concern about the ongoing human rights violations in Syria. With this evidence of government complicity, India will need to send a strong message seeking an end to abuses and proper accountability for those responsible."
India may back Russian UN resolution on Syria - The Times of India
The Russian resolution takes a sort of 360 degrees view of the situation, condemning both Assad's military action as well as actions by armed opposition groups. Along with other BRIC nations, India has come to the conclusion that the unrest in Syria is being exploited by different interests. For instance, officials tracking Syria note that the violence is now most concentrated in Homs, which is the headquarters for the Muslim Brotherhood.
The death of 27 government soldiers in an attack by the Free Syrian Army, a defector group based and, many suspect armed by Turkey, was the apparent trigger for the resolution, sources said. The Russian UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, was quoted as saying, "We call on violence to be stopped from all sides. We are concerned about weapons smuggling, the armed groups operating in Syria. ... from the outset our assessment of the situation is that various violent groups there are taking advantage of peaceful demonstrators in order to pursue their agenda. So those concerns are reflected in the draft resolution."
Sanctions have been imposed on Assad by the West, Israel, Turkey and the Arab League. The Russian resolution supports the Arab League efforts and has been supported by Lebanon as well. In the UNSC, the Western position has found support by African nations and eastern European countries. Russia and China had together vetoed a proposal by Western countries in October to condemn Assad.
The Free Syrian Army claims to have more than 25,000 members committed to depose President Assad. The US-based Human Rights Watch on Thursday released a report detailing the violence in Syria. After their interviews with defectors from the Syrian army, they concluded there was official complicity in the widespread killings, even identifying some 74 commanders of Assad's army.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said, "India has expressed concern about the ongoing human rights violations in Syria. With this evidence of government complicity, India will need to send a strong message seeking an end to abuses and proper accountability for those responsible."
India may back Russian UN resolution on Syria - The Times of India
