MOSCOW. March 1 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a statement after Russia vetoed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Syria under chapter VII of the UN Charter.
"The fight against ISIL and other terrorist groups in Syria must now become imperative for all. Any unilateral or multilateral sanctions against Damascus will only weaken the international terrorist front," the ministry said in the statement, posted on its website.
The draft resolution, proposed by the United Kingdom, France and the United States, was vetoed by Russia and China during the UN SC vote on February 28. Bolivia voted against it, and Egypt, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia abstained.
"The western trio deliberately, clearly for provocative purposes, chose to split the UN SC and throw in the draft, knowing in advance that it was unacceptable for Russia (and not only for it) and that it will be vetoed. At the same time, the co-authors of the document made every attempt to avoid looking for compromise-based solutions. Obviously, their goal consisted not in looking for efficient, generally acceptable solutions, but in polarizing the approaches and exacerbating the situation," the ministry said.