UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council is scheduled to have an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the current situation in Syria as Russia and the United States are at odds over the airstrikes on Aleppo.
In the emergency meeting, council members are expected to vote on a draft resolution on Syria, diplomats said.
Russia, the council's president for this month, said on Friday a draft resolution demanding an end to airstrikes over Aleppo was unacceptable, Xinhua news agency reported.
Though the resolution, which also calls for a ceasefire, is to be considered on Saturday, Russian UN ambassador and council President Vitaly Churkin said: "I cannot possibly see how we can let this resolution pass."
The council's decision to meet in its emergency session came shortly after the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called on parties to halt hostilities in civilian area in Aleppo on Friday.
The special envoy made the statement as he was briefing the 15-nation UN council on the latest developments in the Middle East country, where the conflict has been dragging on for more than five years.
"We are talking about 900 people, who are becoming the main reason for 275,000 people being attacked. Would this be the excuse for the destruction of the city," de Mistura said about the impact of airstrkes on Aleppo.
On Friday, French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters that there is a strong determination for a vote on the draft resolution. This could lead Russia to use its veto power as a permanent member of the council.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
