UN / SYRIA ICC VOTE

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The Security Council failed to adopt a resolution on a referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, with 13 votes in favour and vetoes from China and Russia. UNIFEED - UNTV
Description

STORY: UN / SYRIA ICC VOTE
TRT: 3.22
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / CHINESE / ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 22 MAY 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

22 MAY 2014, NEW YORK CITY

2. Various shots, Security Council vote
3. Wide shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“If members of the Council continue to be unable to agree on a measure that could provide some accountability for the ongoing crimes, the credibility of this body and of the entire organization will continue to suffer.”
5. Med shot, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“The vetoes today have prevented the victims of atrocities from testifying at The Hague for now. But nonetheless it is important for here today to hear the kind of testimony we might have heard if Russia and China had not raised their hands to oppose accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
7. Wide shot, Council
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“P 5 unity is important, after all, it is the reason why France has been pushing for the P 5’s engagement in the political settlement of the crisis, having failed however to advance any positive substantive ideas. Then why deal such a blow to the P 5 unity at this stage? Is it just to try once again to create a pretext for armed intervention in the Syrian conflict?”
9. Med shot, Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari of Syria
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Wang Min, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations:
“The United States, UK and other Western countries made totally unfounded accusations against China. This is irresponsible and it is hypocritical. China categorically rejects those insults rendered by those Western countries on China.”
11. Med shot, US and UK ambassadors
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Bashar Ja'afari, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations:
“The occupying French authorities on the day of 29 May 1945 bombed the Syrian Parliament and killed its garrison. Thus, since war crimes are not subject to the statute of limitation, as we heard, we demand that the Security Council hold the French government accountable for the crimes that were committed against the Syrians and the people of many countries it had previously occupied and looted their resources.”
13. Wide shot, Security Council
14. Wide shot, French Ambassador Gérard Araud walks up to the stakeout position

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

15. Close up, reporter’s notepad

22 MAY 2014, NEW YORK CITY

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Gérard Araud is the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations.
“It is very sad, you know, there are moments where even diplomats really feel sadness. You know, people are going to die. More people are going to die and Syrians are going to suffer, more Syrians are going to suffer. You know, we have tried three resolutions which were not even sanctions. They were threats of sanctions. And they were vetoed by Russia. This resolution, which is about accountability of all the criminals, vetoed by Russia. I don’t know, there is a moment where suddenly you realize that, you know that you are powerless.”

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

17. Close up, reporter’s notepad

22 MAY 2014, NEW YORK CITY

18. Wide shot, French Ambassador Gérard Araud walks away from the stakeout position

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Storyline

Despite repeated appeals by senior United Nations officials for accountability for crimes being committed in Syria, the Security Council was unable today (22 May) to adopt a resolution that would have referred the situation in the war-torn nation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to vetoes by permanent members Russia and China.

The resolution, which was backed by the other 13 members of the Council, would have given the Court the mandate to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria, which since March 2011 has witnessed the deaths of over 100,000 civilians, the displacement of millions and widespread violations of human rights.

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in remarks delivered on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that “if members of the Council continue to be unable to agree on a measure that could provide some accountability for the ongoing crimes, the credibility of this body and of the entire Organization will continue to suffer.”

US Ambassador Samantha Power told the Council that it was is “important for here today to hear the kind of testimony we might have heard if Russia and China had not raised their hands to oppose accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity” and proceeded to read personal accounts from victims of the Syrian war.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin speculated that France had tabled the rejected resolution “just to try once again to create a pretext for armed intervention in the Syrian conflict.”

Ambassador Wang Min of China said that the United States, UK and other Western countries had made “totally unfounded accusations against China” which he said was “irresponsible” and “hypocritical.”

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari accused France of bombing the Syrian Parliament almost seventy years ago. He said “since war crimes are not subject to the statute of limitation, as we heard, we demand that the Security Council hold the French government accountable for the crimes that were committed against the Syrians and the people of many countries it had previously occupied and looted their resources.”

Outside the Council French Ambassador Gérard Araud expressed sadness and said “people are going to die. More people are going to die and Syrians are going to suffer, more Syrians are going to suffer.”

He said “we have tried three resolutions which were not even sanctions. They were threats of sanctions. And they were vetoed by Russia. This resolution, which is about accountability of all the criminals, vetoed by Russia. I don’t know, there is a moment where suddenly you realize that, you know that you are powerless.”

In February 2013, the UN-appointed Commission of Inquiry concluded that the ICC is the appropriate venue to pursue the fight against impunity in Syria.

Today’s action comes less than 10 days after the Joint UN-League of Arab States Special Representative on the Syria crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, resigned from his post after nearly two years of diplomatic efforts to bring about a political solution to the brutal civil war.

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