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It’s very important to show member states that the U.S. takes its responsibility in tough situations. A timely speech not to make war, but an attempt to avoid military intervention and civil war. This once again illustrates the change in the Obama administration since summer 2011 and a policy of peace making in the greater Middle East. Can Obama and Clinton accomplish their objectives working with regional powers like the Arab League, GCC states and the EU?
Syria: UN Security Council debates response to violence with VIDEO
The council is deciding whether to adopt an Arab League plan calling for an end to violence and for President Bashar al-Assad to stand down. Qatar’s prime minister urged council members to take action against what he called Mr Assad’s “killing machine.” Russia says the plan amounts to regime change and could lead to civil war – it is expected to veto the resolution.
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Syria unrest: Clinton and Hague back Arab League plan at UN
(Guardian) Jan. 30, 2011 – Hillary Clinton, William Hague and Alain Juppé are due at the UN security council in New York on Tuesday to support an Arab League plan to end the violence in Syria and to try to overcome Russian-led opposition to a UN-backed demand for political change in Damascus.
As Syrian forces poured into Damascus districts to wrest them from rebel control, a joint European-Arab resolution calling for Bashar al-Assad to hand power to his deputy as a prelude to political transition won the support of the 10 security council member states necessary to force a vote.
Diplomats at the UN said that a vote on the resolution, formally presented by Morocco, was likely by Thursday, after the council considers a report on the Syrian situation by the Arab League secretary general, Nabil Elaraby, and the Qatari prime minister, Hamad Bin Jassim, on Tuesday followed by an ambassadors’ meeting on Wednesday aimed at finding a compromise formula acceptable to Russia, Assad’s principal supporter on the world stage.
“We believe the UN must act to support the people of Syria and that Russia can no longer explain blocking the UN and providing cover for the regime’s brutal repression,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
Juppé’s spokesman, Bernard Valero said: “The goal of tomorrow’s ministerial meeting is to ensure that the security council has an opportunity to listen to the report by the Arab League, which has been involved on the ground since the end of December, and that it is able to support its efforts and recommendations.”
Moscow, which has threatened to veto the security council resolution, views it as a western-backed attempt to open the door to military intervention.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
