AFP :
Russia and the United States were on a collision course ahead of a UN Security Council vote Thursday on the fate of a UN-led probe to determine who is behind chemical attacks in Syria’s six-year war.
Washington and Moscow have put forward rival draft resolutions on renewing for a year the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), tasked with identifying perpetrators of Syria’s toxic gas attacks.
After negotiations failed to bridge differences, the rivals each called for a council vote on their draft resolutions on Thursday, hours before the JIM’s mandate expires at midnight.
Diplomats said they expected Russia to veto the US-drafted measure, which would be the 10th time Moscow has used its veto power at the council to block action targeting its Syrian ally.
The Russian text is unlikely to garner the nine votes required for adoption, diplomats said.
Russia and the United States were on a collision course ahead of a UN Security Council vote Thursday on the fate of a UN-led probe to determine who is behind chemical attacks in Syria’s six-year war.
Washington and Moscow have put forward rival draft resolutions on renewing for a year the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), tasked with identifying perpetrators of Syria’s toxic gas attacks.
After negotiations failed to bridge differences, the rivals each called for a council vote on their draft resolutions on Thursday, hours before the JIM’s mandate expires at midnight.
Diplomats said they expected Russia to veto the US-drafted measure, which would be the 10th time Moscow has used its veto power at the council to block action targeting its Syrian ally.
The Russian text is unlikely to garner the nine votes required for adoption, diplomats said.
