UN fails to agree on Syria statement

RT
Published: 28 April, 2011, 10:07

The funeral of Syrian policeman Samer Slamah in Tartus, 220 km northwest of Damascus, killed in clashes following days of unrest across Syria on April 27, 2011 (AFP Photo / Sana)

The UN Security Council has failed to agree on an EU-proposed statement to condemn Syria’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.
­There was no consensus on Wednesday as Russia, China and Lebanon, the only Arab country in the council, did not support the statement. The talks are to continue on Thursday.

Russia says events in Syria did not constitute a threat to international peace, saying the decision could only provoke more violence.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Army has deployed more tanks and re-enforcements in the south.

More than 450 people have been killed since the protests began over a month ago.

And, while the UN is urging an investigation into the violence, Washington is pushing for sanctions.

Meanwhile, Middle East experts say Syria cannot be dealt with like other Arab uprisings.
James Denselow, a writer on Middle East politics and security, believes the situation in Syria is not ripe for any form of direct military intervention. The more interesting question, according to Densekow, is whether the country, which has withstood various degrees of US sanctions over the past decade, will be deterred by any further international sanctions.
“People will be very conscious of the fact that Syria is not Libya, and the fact that if you do decide to intervene in Syria, you will have knock-on effects across the region – in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine,” he said.  

“And this is a scenario the Western powers feel very dubious about – finding themselves sort of neck-deep in,” added Denselow.

“I think the Americans would be very conscious of the fact that any pressure they put on Syria today will simply force Syria toward more traditional allies, such as Iran and Russia,” he continued.

“So I don’t think the Americans have that on their mind – I think they are far more concerned with their traditional interests in the region,” he concluded.