War Drums: UN General Assembly Condemns Syria...

[paulitician]

Boy, they really want that War with Syria huh? How long before they start claiming Assad is 'Hitler?'


The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday for a resolution backing an Arab League plan calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and strongly condemning human rights violations by his regime.

The vote in the 193-member world body on the Arab-sponsored resolution was 137-12 with 17 abstentions. Several countries complained immediately afterward that they unable to vote due to problems with the U.N.’s voting machine.

Supporters were hoping for a high “yes” vote to deliver a strong message to Assad to immediately stop the bloody crackdown that has killed over 5,400 people and hand power to his vice president. The measure had over 70 co-sponsors and won support from more than two-thirds of the General Assembly.

“Today, the U.N. General Assembly sent a clear message of the people of Syria: the world is with you,” U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said in a statement. Assad “has never been more isolated. A rapid transition to democracy in Syria has garnered the resounding support of the international community. Change must now come.”

There are no vetoes in the General Assembly and while their resolutions are not legally binding, they do reflect world opinion on major issues.

The transfer of power to Syria’s vice-president is part of the Arab League plan for a transitional government which was adopted on Jan. 22. It calls for the establishment of a national unity government within two months to prepare for internationally supervised parliamentary and presidential elections.

Russia and China, who vetoed a similar resolution in the Security Council, voted against the General Assembly measure along with North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and others who heeded Syria’s appeal to vote “no.”

Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari warned that the resolution will send a message to extremists that “violence and deliberate sabotage” are acceptable and will lead “to more chaos and more crisis.”

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UN General Assembly Condemns Syria

 

[Ed Spacer]

All syrias supporters and financiers will never vote against a loyal customer.

 

[paulitician]

Bang those War Drums! Bang those War Drums!

 

[Claudette]

Let the Arab League handle Syria.

 

[paulitician]

Let the Arab League handle Syria.

100% agree, but unfortunately our arms and support will be supplied in the end. We are the UN and Arab League.

 

[waltky]

China comes out in favor of AL's Syrian proposal...

China supports Arab League's proposals for Syria's violence
18 Feb.`12 – China said Saturday it favored a solution to Syria's violence within the Arab League framework and based on the group's proposals, a striking show of support just two weeks after Beijing vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution backing the league's plans.

The seemingly contradictory stances on the Arab League's proposals appear to reflect Beijing's desire for mediation but aversion to U.N. involvement that could lead to authorizing force as happened with Libya. The statement posted late Saturday on the Foreign Ministry's website followed a meeting earlier in the day in Damascus between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun and Syrian President Bashar Assad. It quoted Zhai as telling Assad that China was willing to work with the Syrian government and opposition, the Arab League, and Arab countries to find a solution.

"China supports all the mediation efforts by the Arab League to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis and calls upon relevant parties to increase communication and negotiations to find a peaceful and appropriate solution to the Syrian within the framework of the Arab League and on the basis of the Arab League's relevant political solution proposals," Zhai was quoted as saying. Also Saturday, a ruling party newspaper said in an editorial that China courageously defied the West when it opposed a nonbinding resolution in the U.N. General Assembly condemning human rights violations in Syria. The vote against the resolution, which was overwhelming approved Thursday, indicates China's rising influence in world affairs, the Global Times said.

"The country's courage to truly express itself and to calmly stand its ground is worthy of merit," the paper said. "It is wrong to blindly come down on the side of the West in each vote," it said. Global Times is published by the Communist Party's flagship People's Daily newspaper and its editorials generally reflect the more pugnacious, jingoistic side of government opinion. China, which carried out a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, has refused to condemn Syria over the violence.

Beijing's authoritarian leaders generally oppose any moves that could lead to humanitarian interventions, such as last year's NATO air campaign in Libya, and have themselves used overwhelming force against anti-government protests in Tibet and the traditionally Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang. Syria has seen one of the bloodiest crackdowns in the Arab uprisings that began a year ago. The U.N. says more than 5,400 people were killed in Syria last year, and the number has risen daily. In addition, 25,000 people are estimated to have sought refuge in neighboring countries and more than 70,000 are internally displaced.

Source

 

[waltky]

World pressure for Assad to allow international aid organizations in...

Tunis Conference Aims to Pressure Syria's Assad on Aid, Political Change
February 23, 2012 - Representatives of more than 70 countries and organizations are gathering outside the Tunisian capital, Tunis, for a conference Friday aimed at supporting the Syrian opposition. Getting aid to civilians caught up in Syria's violence will be high on the agenda.

The officials are gathering for the first meeting of what is now called the Friends of the Syrian People -- a movement that came in reaction to the Russian and Chinese vetoes of a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned the Syrian government. The group lacks the Security Council's authority, but hopes to use a combination of pressure and persuasion to convince Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to allow humanitarian aid and agree to end his family's more than 30-year monopoly on power.

It will be a difficult task. Mr. Assad already has defied the Arab League, which is a leader of the movement, and the U.N. General Assembly -- intensifying his military campaign against pro-democracy activists that unofficial reports say has killed thousands of civilians. En route to the Tunis meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday the conference will reflect the international consensus for change in Syria, and that she hopes it will put enough pressure on the Syrian leader to convince him to change.

"We see a lot of developments that we think are pointing to pressure on Assad. We hope it'll pressure him to make the right decision regarding humanitarian assistance. But in the event that he continues to refuse, we think that the pressure will continue to build. So it's a fluid situation. But if I were a betting person for the medium-term and certainly the long-term, I would be betting against Assad," Clinton said.

A senior State Department official traveling to the conference with the secretary told reporters that participants will issue a challenge to President Assad to allow international aid into areas his troops have cut off from the outside world while residents suffer daily artillery barrages. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the conference will also express support for the Arab League transition plan for Syria that would replace Mr. Assad with a council and lead to elections. He said it will also expand ties with the main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, and will seek ways to increase pressure on the Assad government through better focused and coordinated sanctions.

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See also:

Diplomats: 'Friends of Syria' May Demand Entry of Aid Within Days
February 23, 2012 - Diplomats say a group of Western and Arab-led nations gathering in Tunis to discuss Syria's worsening unrest may issue a demand for Damascus to allow the delivery of foreign humanitarian aid to hard-hit areas within days.

The officials say participants in Friday's "Friends of Syria" meeting are likely to call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to order an immediate stop to his crackdown on an 11-month uprising, so that the aid can be delivered. Representatives of more than 70 nations and international organizations will attend the gathering, among them U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Tunisia's presidential spokesman said Thursday his government will propose a peacekeeping force to resolve the Syrian crisis.

It is not clear if the Friends of Syria will announce any punitive measures in the event that Syria rejects their demands. Residents of the central Syrian city of Homs say food, water and medical supplies are running dangerously low after almost three weeks of relentless bombardment by pro-Assad forces surrounding the opposition protest hub. Russia and China have said they will not attend the Tunis meeting. Both powers have repeatedly blocked the U.N. Security Council from taking action against the Syrian government, saying the Council should not take sides in a domestic conflict.

Speaking on a visit to London on Thursday, Clinton said Syrian opposition forces resisting the government crackdown "will somehow, somewhere find the means to defend themselves as well as [to] begin offensive measures," said Clinton. She did not elaborate further. Speaking on a visit to London on Thursday, Clinton said Syrian opposition forces resisting the government crackdown "will somehow, somewhere find the means to defend themselves as well as [to] begin offensive measures," said Clinton. She did not elaborate further.

Rebels of the Free Syrian Army have been urging the international community to arm them, but Western and Arab nations have been reluctant to agree, fearing foreign military intervention could make the situation worse. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration still supports a political resolution of the crisis. But, he said the Assad government's ongoing assault on the Syrian people is "heinous and unforgivable" and will require the United States to "evaluate" its approach "as time goes on."

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[Avatar4321]

Whether there is war with Syria or not, there will be war this year. It's inevitable unless the people repent and turn back to God.

We can't even all get along in a message board thread, what do you think is going to happen when the violence starts?