by News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
U.S. envoy accuses Russia of grandstanding by calling emergency meeting of top U.N. body over mistaken airstrike on Syrian troops, says move "cynical and hypocritical" • Russian envoy blasts U.S. for jeopardizing fragile cease-fire in war-torn country.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
Samantha Power
|
Photo credit: Reuters  |
The United States accused Russia of
grandstanding by calling a U.N. Security Council meeting over U.S.-led
coalition airstrikes in Syria, as Russia said the attacks killed dozens
of Syrian soldiers and could jeopardizing the fragile cease-fire
brokered in the war-torn country.
The 15-member council met for an hour on
Saturday evening after Russia and a war monitoring group said coalition
jets bombed a Syrian army position near Deir ez-Zor airport.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha
Power said Washington was investigating the airstrikes and "if we
determine that we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel that was
not our intention and we of course regret the loss of life."
She said Russia's decision to call a council
meeting was "cynical and hypocritical" as Moscow had never expressed
such outrage at the killing of civilians by Syrian government forces
during more than five years of conflict.
"Russia really needs to stop the cheap point
scoring and the grandstanding and the stunts and focus on what matters,
which is implementation of something we negotiated in good faith with
them," Power told reporters.
The deal reached last Saturday aims to put
Syria's peace process back on track. It included a fragile nationwide
truce, improved humanitarian aid access and joint military targeting of
banned Islamist groups.
When asked if Saturday's airstrikes spelled
the end of the deal, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: "This
is a very big question mark."
"I would be very interested to see how
Washington is going to react. If what Ambassador Power has done today is
any indication of their possible reaction then we are in serious
trouble," Churkin told reporters.
Churkin said it was a crucial time in the
efforts to bring peace to Syria and the fight against terrorism. He said
the United States could have waited until Moscow and Washington were to
start joint military cooperation in two days instead of carrying out a
"reckless" operation.
"Who is in charge in Washington? Is it the
White House or the Pentagon? Because we have heard statements from the
Pentagon which simply fly in the face of what we have heard from
President Obama and Secretary [of State John] Kerry," he said.
Both parties to the Syrian conflict have accused each other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo.
"All the permissions the Syrian government was supposed
to give have been given for humanitarian supplies to reach people in
need in various parts of Syria and that the humanitarian convoy to
eastern Aleppo is supposed to leave tomorrow morning," Churkin said.
News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=36531
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