The UN Security Council is convening on Tuesday regarding the unrest in Syria.
Russia is coming under increasing pressure from the West to fall in line with a draft resolution condemning the Syrian regime and demanding President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation, amid a surge of government violence Monday that left 100 dead.
Russia has persistently objected to resolution that places the blame solely on Assad and calls for a halt in weapons transfers to Syria, and has promised to veto one if it came to a vote.
“The draft has statements in it calling on the member states to stop arms deliveries to Syria,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said. “But there is no clear line between arms contraband that some countries engage in to support extremist forces in Syria, and the legal military-technical ties with this country.”