Amélie BOTTOLLIER- AFTER
French media agency
The decision to bring the dossier to the attention of the General Assembly, where the 193 UN member states each have one vote, without veto, was made after Russia blocked a similar text during a Security Council meeting on September 30th.
“If the United Nations system and the international community, through the General Assembly, did not react to this type of illegal attempt, we would be in a very bad situation,” Olof Skoog, European Union ambassador in charge of drafting the resolution in cooperation with Ukraine and other countries.
The absence of the vote of the General Assembly, expected at the end of the debates or not before Wednesday, would risk giving “carte blanche to other countries to do the same or to recognize what Russia has done”, he added.
The draft text seen by the AFP condemns the “illegal” annexations of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson after the “so-called referendum” and stresses that such actions “have no validity” under international law. It also demands that no one recognize these annexations and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
In a letter to all member states, Russia attacked “Western delegations” whose actions “have nothing to do with defending international law”.
“They pursue their own geopolitical objectives”, wrote the Russian ambassador Vassili Nebenzia, denouncing the “pressure” of the United States and its allies on other capitals.
In these circumstances, he called for a secret ballot, a more than unusual procedure reserved in principle for elections, for example, of members of the Security Council.
“It will be hard”
“This shows no great confidence in the outcome,” joked a senior US administration official, also referring to “a somewhat desperate attempt.”
According to the spokesperson for the General Assembly, this procedure should first be put to the vote of the member states. Without secret ballot.
The UN secretary general, guarantor of the “values” of the United Nations and its Charter, also clearly denounced the annexations of the Ukrainian territories.
“It goes against everything the international community should stand for. This violates the purposes and principles of the United Nations. It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. This must not be accepted ”, had hammered Antonio Guterres on 29 September.
These remarks “show that it is not about the West against Russia,” said the American official.
During the Security Council vote, no country sided with Russia, but four delegations (China, India, Brazil and Gabon) abstained.
While some developing countries resent the West’s focus on Ukraine, others may follow suit this week.
The vote will make it possible to more accurately assess Russia’s degree of isolation. The efforts of the defenders of the text to persuade potential abstentions are therefore going well.
“It will be tough. The resolution against the annexation of Crimea in 2014 received about 100 votes. I think we will have more this time,” says a senior European official, counting from 100 to 140 votes in favor.
The first two General Assembly resolutions against the Russian invasion in March received 141 and 140 votes in favor, five against (Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea) and between 35 and 38 abstentions.
The third in late April, which suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council, had resulted in an erosion of international unity against Moscow, with far more abstentions (58) and votes against (24) in the face of 93 votes in favor.
For the senior American official, the “measure” of support for Moscow will be among those who “stand with Russia” by voting no.
Amélie BOTTOLLIER- AFTER
French media agency
The decision to bring the dossier to the attention of the General Assembly, where the 193 UN member states each have one vote, without veto, was made after Russia blocked a similar text during a Security Council meeting on September 30th.
“If the United Nations system and the international community, through the General Assembly, did not react to this type of illegal attempt, we would be in a very bad situation,” Olof Skoog, European Union ambassador in charge of drafting the resolution in cooperation with Ukraine and other countries.
The absence of the vote of the General Assembly, expected at the end of the debates or not before Wednesday, would risk giving “carte blanche to other countries to do the same or to recognize what Russia has done”, he added.
The draft text seen by the AFP condemns the “illegal” annexations of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson after the “so-called referendum” and stresses that such actions “have no validity” under international law. It also demands that no one recognize these annexations and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
In a letter to all member states, Russia attacked “Western delegations” whose actions “have nothing to do with defending international law”.
“They pursue their own geopolitical objectives”, wrote the Russian ambassador Vassili Nebenzia, denouncing the “pressure” of the United States and its allies on other capitals.
In these circumstances, he called for a secret ballot, a more than unusual procedure reserved in principle for elections, for example, of members of the Security Council.
“It will be hard”
“This shows no great confidence in the outcome,” joked a senior US administration official, also referring to “a somewhat desperate attempt.”
According to the spokesperson for the General Assembly, this procedure should first be put to the vote of the member states. Without secret ballot.
The UN secretary general, guarantor of the “values” of the United Nations and its Charter, also clearly denounced the annexations of the Ukrainian territories.
“It goes against everything the international community should stand for. This violates the purposes and principles of the United Nations. It is a dangerous escalation. It has no place in the modern world. This must not be accepted ”, had hammered Antonio Guterres on 29 September.
These remarks “show that it is not about the West against Russia,” said the American official.
During the Security Council vote, no country sided with Russia, but four delegations (China, India, Brazil and Gabon) abstained.
While some developing countries resent the West’s focus on Ukraine, others may follow suit this week.
The vote will make it possible to more accurately assess Russia’s degree of isolation. The efforts of the defenders of the text to persuade potential abstentions are therefore going well.
“It will be tough. The resolution against the annexation of Crimea in 2014 received about 100 votes. I think we will have more this time,” says a senior European official, counting from 100 to 140 votes in favor.
The first two General Assembly resolutions against the Russian invasion in March received 141 and 140 votes in favor, five against (Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea) and between 35 and 38 abstentions.
The third in late April, which suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council, had resulted in an erosion of international unity against Moscow, with far more abstentions (58) and votes against (24) in the face of 93 votes in favor.
For the senior American official, the “measure” of support for Moscow will be among those who “stand with Russia” by voting no.
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