Brussels, 13/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, sees the Syrian issue as a “political power struggle”. He has described the situation as “very complex”, saying the problem is mainly political and that Russia and China must be encouraged to work with the Security Council. He was speaking at the press conference of the European Parliament on Monday 12 March.
Underlining that “there is still hope”, Al Nasser said that, although there does not seem to be a compromise on a resolution, in coming days or weeks, if Russia and China are willing to cooperate and support the Arab League initiative, there could be concrete results. For now, he added, China and Russia do not wish to tackle the question. He said he would keep pressure up until a positive outcome is reached.
The president of the General Assembly said a very firm position must be adopted to say that enough is enough, either in Council or at the General Assembly. He went on to explain that they cannot remain silent as many people have been killed and continue to be killed. “It is a bloodbath that affects women and children also. We are responsible, and we must act”, he said.
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser pointed out that the General Assembly, which brings together 193 countries, has adopted a resolution supporting the Arab League's plan and calling for the violence to stop. “We must see how we can implement this resolution. I hope this will encourage the Council to show audacity in tackling the issue”, he explained. Al Nasser called on the secretary general of the United Nations to present a report to the UN General Assembly every two weeks on the progress being made on the dossier and on the progress being made by the mission under Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan. (CG/transl.jl)