Egypt defends abstention on UNSC resolution on Syria

CAIRO – 2 March 2017: Egypt abstained from casting a vote on a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria because the U.N. has not concluded its investigations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid told state newspaper Al-Ahram Wednesday.


The resolution, drafted by France, Britain, and the U.S., proposed sanctions against the Syrian government on accusations it was using chemical weapons. Russia, China and Bolivia vetoed the resolution, nine states voted in favor, and Egypt, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan abstained.


Abu Zeid added that Egypt had considered all of resolution’s articles, the necessity of waiting for the results of the U.N. investigations, and the fact that the council issued a resolution in November 2016 extending investigations for a year.


The proposed resolution jumped to conclusions in accusing individuals and bodies affiliated with the Syrian government of involvement in the crime without providing evidence, he added.