Medvedev opposed to UN vote on Syria
Russian president says resolution against Damascus 'a scrap of paper to cover up a pointless military operation,' similarly to Libyan resolution
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has practically ruled out supporting a United Nations resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, the Financial Times reported on Monday.
In an interview with the newspaper, Medvedev criticized the way Western countries had interpreted UN resolution 1973 on Libya which he said turned it into "a scrap of paper to cover up a pointless military operation".
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"I would not like a Syrian resolution to be pulled off in a similar manner," he added.
Russia abstained in the March vote that cleared the way for military action in Libya to protect civilians. It has subsequently accused the coalition of overstepping its mandate.
Russia and fellow Security Council member China dislike the idea of any UN judgment on Syria and have played little part in discussions on a draft resolution.
"We will be told the resolution reads "denounce violence", so some of the signatories may end up denouncing the violence by dispatching a number of bombers," Medvedev was quoted as saying.
"In any event, I do not want it to be on my head."
It is still unclear whether Russia will vote against the resolution or be absent from the plenum, as it did during the March vote against Libya.
As for other Syrian supporters, Lebanon – who is also a member of the Security Council – is also expected to object to the resolution against Syria.
Medvedev and Assad last year (Photo: AFP)
Turkey, on the other hand, is expected to vote in favor of a General Assembly resolution against Damascus. Ankara has already urged Assad to adopt democratic reforms and immediately cease violent suppression of protests.
On Sunday, Syrian opposition activists created a "National Council" to lead the battle to oust Assad's regime, their spokesman Jamil Saib announced.
"We announce the creation of a National Council to lead the Syrian revolution, comprising all communities and representatives of national political forces inside and outside Syria," reporters near the Turkish-Syrian border were told.
The group urged all parties and elements opposing Syrian President Assad to "band together" in order to achieve the just goal of overthrowing the regime and bringing (Assad) to justice.
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