Syria conflict: Russia and China sanctions

Russia and China have vetoed a UN resolution to impose
sanctions on Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons.

It is the seventh time Russia has vetoed a UN Security 
Council resolution to protect the Syrian government.

China has also vetoed six Security Council resolutions 
on Syria since the civil war began in 2011.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 
under an agreement negotiated between Russia and the
 US.

The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad is accused of carrying out chemical attacks on its own 
civilians - a charge it denies.

However, investigations by the UN and international 
chemical weapons watchdog have found that Syrian government forces carried out three chemical weapons attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The reports said that Syrian air force helicopters had 
dropped chlorine gas on rebel-held areas, twice in March 
2015 and once in April 2014.

The use of chlorine as a weapon is prohibited under the 
1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

Islamic State (IS) militants had also used sulphur-mustard 
gas in an attack, the watchdog found.


Tuesday's resolution had been drafted by the US, the UK 
and France.

It would have banned the sale of helicopters to Syria and would have led to sanctions against 11 Syrian commanders 
or officials, and 10 groups linked to the chemical attacks.

Nine Security Council members supported the resolution, while three - China, Russia and Bolivia - voted against it.

The final three members - Egypt, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia -
abstained.

A Security Council resolution needs nine votes in support, 
and no vetoes from the five permanent members (the US, France, Russia, UK and China) in order to pass.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had said sanctions 
against Syria would be "totally inappropriate", saying "it 
would only hurt or undermine confidence" in peace talks.

Moscow has long-standing links to Syria, with many Syrian military officers trained and equipped by Russia.

Moscow says its military and political support for the 
Syrian government has helped the fight against IS militants.

But Western critics accuse Moscow of targeting 
opposition groups backed by the West.

Meanwhile, China's UN ambassador, Liu Jieyi, said Beijing
opposed the use of chemical weapons but that it was too soon to impose sanctions as investigations were still 
ongoing.

China has said in the past that it has a long-standing policy 
of non-intervention in other countries' affairs.

Analysts say China may be worried that some of its 
Muslim populations in western Xinjiang have joined 
militant groups fighting in Syria.

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said: "It is a sad day on the Security Council when members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people.

"They put their friends in the Assad regime ahead of our 
global security... the world is definitely a more dangerous place."

UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said: "Not taking action against chemical weapons' use undermines confidence in 
the international community's ability to tackle flagrant violations of international law - and undermines the trust of Syrians affected by these horrific attacks."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Russia 
bore a "heavy responsibility toward the Syrian people and humanity as a whole".