India abstained from voting on a resolution, denouncing the Syrian government, at the U.N. General Assembly on Friday night. It found that the text made scant mention of the role of the armed opposition, which was setting a “dangerous trend” by using weapons of “very high sophistication,” in the violence, said sources in the Foreign Office here.
The resolution was passed with 133 countries supporting it, 12 opposing it and 31 abstentions after an acrimonious debate.
“There were some problematic formulations,” said the sources, pointing out that the resolution was strident about the role of the Syrian government but dismissed the involvement of non-state actors in a single-line reference. In contrast, last month’s Security Council resolution, which was vetoed by China and Russia, indicted the armed opposition groups for their ‘continued violations of human rights’.”
“The UNSC had earlier acknowledged that the onus for ending violence does not lie on one side alone. This [UNGA] makes no effort at all,” said the sources.
In this respect, observations by India’s Permanent Representative at the U.N. Hardeep Puri were once again even-handed — neither side had implemented its obligations under the six-point plan of Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, a number of terrorist acts were committed against state institutions and public infrastructure and there were gross violations of human rights by all sides. The sources also commented on the UNGA deploring the UNSC inability to end the conflict. And while they had no issues with this unusual spectacle of some UNSC members themselves piloting a resolution that criticised their efforts, Indian diplomats were not pleased with the resolution making a reference to an Arab League resolution that sought the removal of the Syrian President.
