INTERNATIONAL - UN condemns Syrian government, backs role of opposition in transition talks

Bashar Ja'afari, Syria's Ambassador to the United Nations, speaks before a vote on Syria at the UN General Assembly on May 15. AFP photo 

The UN General Assembly on May 15 condemned the Syrian government's "escalation" of the country's war and backed the role of the opposition coalition in transition talks.

But Russia, Syria's key diplomatic ally, fiercely opposed the resolution and branded it a potential obstacle to plans to hold peace negotiations in Geneva next month.

Only 107 countries in the 193 member assembly backed the text, down from 133 when the last Syria vote was held in August.

The United States, Britain and France joined Arab countries in supporting the resolution, drawn up by Qatar and other Arab states, which expressed "outrage at the rapidly increasing death toll." The number of Syrians estimated to have did in the conflict is now estimated at more than 80,000 by Syrian activists...........

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