BICOM

Britain and France sought to back efforts initiated by Arab states at the United Nations yesterday to end Syrian President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protesters. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said, “The UN Security Council must support the Arab League’s courageous decisions which are trying to end the repression and violence in Syria and find a solution to the political crisis.”

According to one council diplomat, Britain and France aim to pass a resolution drafted by Western and Arab diplomats as early as next week. However, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday reaffirmed his country’s opposition to sanctions and military intervention. Lavrov, after a meeting yesterday with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, said that Russia was open to constructive proposals that seek to end violence in Syria. Russia has previously blocked attempts at the Security Council to pass resolutions condemning the violent crackdown by the Assad regime of anti-government protesters. Russia is a major arms supplier to the Syrian regime, and maintains a strategically valuable naval base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

According to the UN, over 5,000 people have been killed since March in anti-government protests in Syria.