UN Security Council fails to pass resolution on Syria; Mandate of UN mission in Syria and Cyprus extended; Attacks in DRC condemned; India wants treaty on arms trade to be based on consensus; UNSC asks Israel and Lebanon to move forward on all outstanding
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    • Reports noted that the UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have threatened sanctions on Syria as Russia and China vetoed the resolution. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan expressed disappointment over the Council’s failure to be united and take strong and concerted action. 1 India which was one among the 11 nations that had voted in favour of the resolution said that it wanted to facilitate united action by the Security Council and also expressed regret at the lack of unity among Council members. 2 Meanwhile, Iran had appealed to India, as a member of the UNSC, to look for a solution that would diminish the role of ‘foreign interests’ in the country. 3

    According to reports, the mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) tasked with monitoring the cessation of violence in Syria was renewed for a final period of 30 days. The Council took into consideration the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recommendations to reconfigure the Mission and operational implications of the increasingly dangerous security situation in Syria. 4

    Separately, the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was extended until 31 January 2013 and the Council also called the leadership of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities to accelerate the pace of talks to reunify the divided island nation. 5

    In other developments, the attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the M23, a group of renegade soldiers was strongly condemned by the UN Security Council. The Council also demanded that all forms of support to armed groups in DRC cease immediately. 6

    Reports noted that at the UN negotiations for a global Arms Trade Treaty, India hopes that a treaty emerges from consensus, otherwise the lack of involvement of major stakeholders will create a huge gap in the implementation of the legislation. India is looking at a ‘practical and implementable treaty’. India also stressed that the proposed treaty should ‘strike a balance in the obligations between the exporters and importers’. 7

    Meanwhile, the UN Security Council emphasized the need for Israel and Lebanon to move forward on all outstanding issues regarding the implementation of relevant resolutions. The Council also welcomed the efforts made by the Lebanese President in reconvening the National Dialogue of the country’s political leaders and looked forward to the continuation of the process. 8

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