BRICS nations to vote against Syria resolution

Syrian rebels carry a fighter who was wounded during clashes with government troops in the Salhin district of the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday. Syrian rebels attacked key military targets and overran two police stations in Aleppo, killing 40 officers, a watchdog said, as the pivotal battle for the commercial capital raged. [Photo/Agencies]

Representatives of BRICS, the five-nation group comprising large emerging economies, plan to vote against a UN General Assembly draft resolution on Syria, Moscow-based RIA Novosti news agency said on Wednesday.

China is a member of BRICS.

The UN General Assembly said on Tuesday it will hold a meeting on the crisis in Syria this week, and diplomats say it will likely vote on a Saudi Arabia-drafted resolution that condemns the Security Council for failing to take action against Damascus.

The 193-nation assembly's press office said the meeting on Syria's 16-month-old conflict will take place at 10 am on Thursday.

This meeting comes after Russia and China on July 19 for the third time vetoed a Western-backed draft resolution in the Security Council, which threatened Syrian authorities with sanctions.

Besides China and Russia, BRICS also includes Brazil, India and South Africa.

The assembly was expected to vote on a draft resolution that voices "grave concern at the escalation of violence in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the continued widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights", UN diplomats said.

The latest draft, dated Monday, was penned by Saudi Arabia, which is openly supporting the rebel forces fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Damascus has claimed repeatedly that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are arming the rebels.

The draft resolution would also have the assembly "expressing grave concern at the Syrian authorities' threat to use chemical or biological weapons". Damascus recently acknowledged having chemical arms, but said it would only use such weapons if it were attacked by foreign powers.

The resolution also would have the assembly "deploring the Security Council failure to agree on measures to ensure the Syrian authorities' compliance with its decisions" that call for an end to the violence.

That condemnation, Western envoys say, is aimed at Moscow and Beijing.

Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but there are no vetoes in the assembly, said Li Guofu, director of Middle East studies with the China Institute of International Studies.

"If passed, the nonbinding resolution would have a limited effect on the Syrian situation, but it would show the international community's support for opposition parties," Li said.

A strong majority vote in the assembly for a resolution would also increase the pressure on Syria's government, as well as Russia and China, which are calling for a peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis, he added.

The Saudi resolution reiterates the Arab League's calls for Assad to step down and allow a political transition to a democratic government. It also urges both the government forces and rebels to stop the violence, though it mainly focuses its criticism on the government.

On Wednesday, Assad said on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the army that the Syrian army is engaged in a "crucial and heroic battle" that will decide the country's future.

Syrian army troops on Wednesday engaged a unit of about 500 rebels north of Aleppo, the country's second-largest city. Fighting in the capital continues.

Sausan Ghosheh, the spokeswoman for the UN mission in Syria, said the situation in Aleppo was dire, with "heavy use of heavy weapons", including tanks, which the rebels now possess as well.

Reuters and AP contributed to this story.

zhaoshengnan@chinadaily.com.cn