United Nations | Sat, April 3, 2021 | 7:30 am
After two days of tense talks, the UN Security Council “strongly condemned” the deaths of hundreds of civilians in Myanmar in a joint statement watered down by China. ” Members of the United Nations Security Council expressed grave concern about the increasingly deteriorating situation and firmly denounced the use of brutality against unarmed protesters, as well as the deaths of hundreds of people, including women and children “read the statement released by Britain, a former colonial force.
Western nations decided to incorporate a “readiness to take additional action” — a nod to the prospect of foreign sanctions — in earlier iterations of the text obtained by AFP.
According to diplomats, China, Myanmar’s most powerful ally, blocked the language. In addition, Beijing insisted on modifying a reference to the “killing” of hundreds of civilians to civilian “deaths.” According to diplomats, Russia repeatedly vetoed the document because it required a sentence condemning the deaths of security forces personnel during protests.
Having the Security Council to speak in one voice, amid the prolonged talks, sent a “very powerful signal,” one ambassador said on condition of anonymity. The Security Council has released three unanimous comments on Myanmar following the February 1 coup.
However, Beijing, which has never acknowledged the presence of a coup, has consistently limited the reach of the negotiated documents. Furthermore, so far, the Security Council’s positions have had no impact on the military. The UN’s special envoy for Myanmar called for stern measures against the junta on Wednesday, speaking of a future “bloodbath” and civil war.
