Turkey appealed to a unwilling United Nations SC on Thursday for a safe haven for thousands of Syrians fronting a “humanitarian tragedy” as Britain and France told they’d rule out no alternatives – including a no-fly zone – to aid residents fleeing an escalating civil war.
But Turkish leaders held out little hope for the countenance of a profoundly divided council which has been paralysed on taking action to cease the 18-month arising that has killed more than 20,000 people.
“How long are we going to sit and watch while an entire generation is being annihilated by random bombardment and deliberate mass targeting?” asked Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. “Let’s not forget that if we don’t move against such a law-breaking against humanity happening before our eyes, we become confederates to the crime.”
Davutoğlu advised that the council build camps for refugees forced to flee their homes, pressing the council to take “long overdue steps” to aid the suffering people.
“Evidently, I was wrong about my expectations,” he told the council. “This meeting won’t even cease with a presidential or press affirmation, not to mention a robust resolution.”
The path to the council’s accord on a safe district for Syrians is troubled with obstructions, guided by the hesitation of Russia and China, Syria’s most significant friends. The countries have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions in the SC trying to pressure President Bashar Assad’s government with the threat of sanctions.
Moscow and Beijing were extremely critical of the no-fly zone built by North Atlantic Treaty Organization to protect civilians during last year’s Libyan revolt against longtime authoritarian Muammar Gaddafi, telling its enforcement went beyond the SC mandate. Western diplomats told enforcing the district required taking out Libya’s air defenses and attacking tanks and military vehicles that posed threats to civilians.
