UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – The United States has drafted an outline for a new U.N. Security Council resolution demanding access for humanitarian aid workers in besieged Syrian towns and an end to the violence there, Western envoys said yesterday.
The latest push for action on Syria by the 15-nation council comes after Russia and China twice vetoed resolutions that would have condemned Damascus’ 11-month crackdown on pro-democracy protests and demanded an end to the violence, saying Western and Arab nations were seeking Libya-style “regime change” in Syria.
By focusing on the humanitarian situation, U.N. envoys said, Western and Arab powers hoped to make it difficult for Moscow and Beijing to veto council action on Damascus a third time. Russian and Chinese backing for any council resolution, they added, would be a blow to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
