Chinese Envoy: UK ‘Poisoning’ Atmosphere on UN Security Council in Vote on Syria

The United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United Nations is distorting facts and “poisoning the atmosphere” on the Security Council, China’s UN envoy Liu Jieyi charged in comments to the Council.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Last week, New Zealand, backed by Egypt and Spain, introduced to the Security Council a draft resolution on Syria calling for at least a seven-day halt to all military action in the city of Aleppo. Before Monday’s vote, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin warned that Moscow thought the draft needed more work and would block it from passing.

“What right does he have to distort the position of other countries? The Security Council is a solemn forum. It is not a place where groundless attacks can be made on other countries’ positions,” Liu said Monday.

He added: “I would like to request the UK representative to put an end to such practice of poisoning the atmosphere of the Security Council and abusing the solemn forum of the Council. This is not the first time that he did this, and I hope that such actions will not be repeated in the future.”

His remarks followed a Council vote on a draft resolution regarding Syria that drew opposition from China, as well as Russia and Venezuela, arguing that more work and consultation was needed.

Liu claimed that China’s position on the Syrian conflict had been misrepresented.

UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft expressed surprise over China’s “no” vote, saying Beijing acted “not because of the lack of consultations but because of their long-standing misplaced faith in a despot who has killed nearly half a million of his own people” – a reference to Syria’s President Bashar Assad.