EGYPT: Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby says there are signs China and Russia could be shifting their stance on Syria

Record ID: 280388

  • Title: EGYPT: Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby says there are signs China and Russia could be shifting their stance on Syria
  • Date: 21st February 2012
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (FEBRUARY 20, 2012) (REUTERS) SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ARAB LEAGUE NABIL ELARABY, WALKING TOWARDS PODIUM ALONGSIDE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY NASSIR ABDULAZIZ NASSER REPORTERS SEATED DURING NEWS CONFERENCE ELARABY AND NASSER AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ARAB LEAGUE, NABIL ELARABY, SAYING: "The (meeting in T
  • Embargoed: 7th March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt, Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAEJRMRYSB3A6MVUJE2QCTXPNUG
  • Story Text: The Arab League chief said on Monday (February 20) there were signs that China and Russia could be shifting their stance on Syria after the two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council vetoed a Western-backed Arab peace plan aimed at ending violence there.
    Referring to an upcoming so-called "Friends of Syria" meeting later this week in Tunisia, comprising West and Arab countries, League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby told a news conference in Cairo there were indications of a shift in position on Syria particularly in China.
    "The (meeting in Tunisia) will include a large number of countries and the goal of this meeting is to put extra pressure on Syria. Also, there are indicators coming from China, in particular, and to a certain extent from Russia that there may be a change in position," Elaraby said.
    China and Russia's blocked this month of a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that backed an Arab plan demanding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step aside angered the West and Arab states.
    They also voted against a non-binding General Assembly resolution to back the Arab plan last week.
    China has sent envoys to the region, stung by Western criticism that by vetoing the resolutions it was allowing the violence in Syria to increase.
    Elaraby also said that the meeting on Friday in Tunisia of the "Friends of Syria" was to "put extra pressure on Syria".
    The President of the United Nations General Assembly Nassir Abdelaziz Nasser said, during the news conference, the international community could no longer remain silent on the situation in Syria.
    He said he agreed with Elaraby that the decision to act to end the violence in Syria must come from the UN Security Council.
    "The goal we are working on is that we know that there are difficulties in the Security Council but I think we cannot stay silent and have to exert the utmost pressure to make it possible for the Syrian government either, to implement what was agreed upon, or, make the Security Council look into the matter more seriously, because it is a dangerous situation, and there are big violations and a lack of commitments concerning the Arab initiative and the international community cannot remain silent in a situation as dangerous as the Syrian situation," he said.
    Elaraby also announced that plans for the joint Arab League-United Nations envoy will all be revealed during the Friday (February 24) conference in Tunisia.
    "We have been discussing this issue over the past few days, in appointing an envoy and all of these matters will be made clear when we meet on the 24th and I have a meeting with the Secretary General (of the United Nations) on the 22nd and the 23rd."
    Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon is also scheduled to attend the conference in Tunisia.
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