US Blocks UN Resolution Condemning Damascus Bombing

UN Envoy Issues Personal Statement Calling Attack a 'War Crime'

by Jason Ditz, February 22, 2013

Yesterday’s massive bombing attack near the Ba’ath Party headquarters in Damascus, an attack which left 100 people dead and 250 others wounded, the vast majority civilians, was a “war crime,” according to UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

In a personal statement, Brahimi said that “nothing could justify such horrible actions that amount to war crimes under international law,” and said that he “strongly condemns” the attack.

Brahimi’s personal statement is going to be the closest we get to a UN condemnation of the killings, however, as the US has blocked a Russian resolution from moving through the UN Security Council condemning the attack.

The US denied being opposed to a resolution as such but wanted an alternative resolution that focused on condemnations of the Syrian government, while mentioning the bombing as a secondary concern. They went on to accuse Russia of blocking that statement, even though it mentioned the bombing in passing, and insisted that was the real opposition to the condemnation.

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