The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on Syria

The UN General Assembly on May 15 adopted a resolution backed by Arab countries calling for the start of a political transition in Syria, and strongly condemning President Bashar al-Assad's regime for its increasing use of heavy weapons.

The non-binding resolution was passed with 107 votes in favor, 12 against and 59 abstentions.

Protests in Syria

The vote was much lower than the 133 votes in favor, 12 against and 31 abstentions for a UN General Assembly resolution in August that condemned Syria's crackdown on opposition forces and urged a political solution.

Russia, a close ally of Syria, this time urged a no vote while some Latin American countries requested, but failed to approve, changes to the resolution's text to lessen support for the National Coalition, Syria's main opposition group.

Meanwhile, the United States strongly supports and is a co-sponsor of this resolution. US Deputy Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo affirmed that this document supports the US-Russia initiative to hold an international conference on Syria and "will send a clear message that the political solution we all seek is the optimal path to end the suffering of the Syrian people".

On the contrary, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Alexander Pankin called this resolution "very harmful and unconstructive," aimed at changing the Syrian government./.

According to (Vietnam+) - DT