NEW YORK, UN. March 28 (Interfax) - United Nations Security Council members on Monday did not approve a draft resolution that condemns the act of sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022.
The document was supported by three nations, and 12 abstained. None of the member countries voted against the resolution. The draft resolution was not approved as it did not receive the sufficient number of votes in favor, according to an explanation given at the UN Security Council meeting.
The draft resolution was drawn up by Russia. Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said earlier that China was the document's co-author.
The document says that acts of sabotage on key underwater pipelines pose a threat to peace and security worldwide. It also emphasizes the importance of conducting an efficient, unbiased, transparent, and thorough international investigation, which would include all parties.
According to the draft resolution, all parties involved in organizing, sponsoring and perpetrating this act of sabotage must be held accountable.
Its authors urge UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to establish a special international investigative commission consisting of impartial, experienced, and internationally respected.
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said following the vote that "the so-called national investigations [of Sweden, Denmark and Germany], which exclude Russia's participation, could last for years."
"I think that after today's vote, suspicions as to who stands behind the sabotage on the Nord Stream pipelines will only increase [...]. One does not have to be a detective or an analyst to understand that the U.S. and allies are trying to cover up the tracks [...] because if the U.S. was interested in establishing the facts and punishing those guilty, it would act differently," Nebenzya said.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood, in turn, said Washington believes that Russia is not interested in an impartial inquiry and that Russia has already decided who is guilty.