Australia urges UN action on Syria

26 Jan 2012, 9:58 am   -   Source: AAP
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Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has urged the UN Security Council to take action to stop civilian deaths in Syria.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has called for the UN Security Council to take tough action on Syria to prevent "murder" on the streets of Damascus.

"What we continue to see there day by day is the murder of innocent civilians," Mr Rudd told AFP on Wednesday after talks in Berlin with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.

"We would urge other members of the Security Council to adopt a positive approach to what further actions now need to be taken to cause the Syrian regime to change its posture," he added.

"Every day that goes by, more Syrian civilians die."

Britain, France, Germany and Arab nations are working on a resolution against Syria that could face Russian opposition because of a call to follow Arab League sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia and China vetoed a previous European attempt in October to secure a resolution condemning Assad for the violence which the United Nations says has killed more than 5400 people since mid-March.

Diplomats have indicated that a vote could take place as early as next week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier on Wednesday he was "open to constructive proposals" on Syria but was opposed to any UN resolution that proposed sanctions or the use of force.

Asked about Russia's position, Mr Westerwelle said: "From my point of view, the latest decisions from the Arab League would be an important and good occasion for other members of the Security Council to think about their policy once again."

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