UNSC blocks statement condemning attack on Russian embassy in Syria

The UN Security Council on Tuesday failed to adopt a media statement condemning the recent shelling of the Russian embassy in Damascus as several states rejected the text suggested by Moscow, a spokesman for the Russian mission to the UN said.

According to press secretary Fyodor Strzhizhovsky, the text, proposed by the Russian delegation, was based "on standard wording regarding counter-terrorism and immunity of diplomatic missions."

"With regret, we have to state that certain Security Council members have again refused to consider the Russian version of the project under the contrived pretext of the lack of evidence supporting the [version of the] terrorist nature of the attacks. It was suggested that all important provisions of the project should be deleted. Under these circumstances, the Russian side considers further work on this document useless," the diplomat...