An emergency session of the UN Security Council on Syria has ended with no action taken as Russia clashed openly with representatives from the United States, Britain and France.
All three Western powers heaped blame on Moscow on Sunday for supporting the offensive by its close ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, which has been the deadliest of the five-and-a-half-year war.
When Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari was called to speak, all three ambassadors walked out of the council chamber in protest.
Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin blamed Syria's rebels for sabotaging the September 9 cease-fire agreement by shoring up its forces.
He accused the Western coalition of failing to separate the moderate forces it backs from "terrorist" groups including the al-Qaeda-linked Fatah Sham Front.
"Bringing a peace is almost an impossible task now," Churkin said.
But he told the council that Russia still wants a cease-fire along with renewed negotiations between the Syrian parties.
France's UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said immediate implementation of the cease-fire agreement, hammered out by the US and Russia "is our only hope".
Share
