Posted at 12:15 p.m.
Updated at 1:17 p.m.
(UN) The UN General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution that “demands that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine”, in a vote overwhelmingly approved by 141 countries, 5 sec. opposing it, and 35 abstaining, including China, out of the 193 members of the Organization.
The result was greeted with a round of applause.
The five countries that voted against are Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria.
The resolution, punctuating more than two days of interventions at the UN rostrum, demands that Moscow “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces” from Ukraine and “condemns Russia’s decision to ‘increase the alerting of its nuclear forces’.
Steered by the European Union in coordination with Ukraine, the text, which benefited from around a hundred co-sponsors, also “deplores” “in the strongest terms Russia’s aggression against Ukraine” and affirms “its attachment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity” of this country, including “its territorial waters”.
“The message from the General Assembly is loud and clear,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told reporters. “End hostilities in Ukraine – now. Open the door to dialogue and diplomacy – now,” he added.
“Russia has chosen aggression. The world has chosen peace,” argued EU Ambassador Olof Skoog, referring to a “historic vote.”
Entitled “Aggression against Ukraine”, the resolution also calls for unhindered access to humanitarian aid – against the backdrop of arduous discussions in the Security Council on a Franco-Mexican draft resolution on the same subject – and ” deplores the involvement of Belarus” in the attack on Ukraine.
“Genocide”?
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, had denounced just before at the UN podium an ongoing “genocide” in his country, perpetrated by Russia, urging “action” the community international not to repeat what Hitler did.
“It is already clear that Russia’s goal is not just an occupation. It’s genocide,” he said as US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield assured that Russia intended to use “cluster munitions” and “thermobaric weapons.” , prohibited by a Geneva Convention.
His Russian counterpart, Vassily Nebenzia, assured that Russia was not targeting civilian targets and was limiting itself to defending the populations living in Donbass, in the separatist east of Ukraine.
In addition to North America and Europe, the resolution benefited from a favorable vote of many African States, but not that of South Africa which abstained, like Algeria, the Central African Republic and Mali , two countries currently developing their ties with Russia. Burkina Faso, where there was a recent coup, did not vote.
A majority of Latin American countries, although far removed from the Ukrainian theatre, voted in favor of the resolution. Cuba like Nicaragua, close to Moscow, abstained.
UAE flip-flop
For the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, suspected of having concluded a more or less tacit agreement with Russia in exchange for a favorable vote on Monday by this country in the Security Council to designate the Yemeni Houthis as “terrorists” and extend the arms embargo to all of these rebels, voted for, breaking with a position followed since last week in the Security Council, which this country has chaired since Tuesday and for the whole month of March.
Iran, in negotiations on its nuclear program with the West, China and Russia, abstained, a position also adopted by Iraq. Saudi Arabia and Israel voted for the resolution.
China’s abstention is faithful to its position adopted a week ago in the Security Council. India, a non-permanent member of this Council for more than a year and a half, and with close military relations with Russia, also abstained, despite strong pressure from the United States. Pakistan, also under strong pressure, particularly from the Europeans, for a favorable vote, abstained.
The resolution in the Assembly was inspired by a text rejected last week in the UN Security Council because of a veto posed by Russia which outraged Westerners.
Within the General Assembly, the right of veto, the privilege of the five permanent members of the Security Council (United States, Russia, China, France and United Kingdom), does not exist. Its resolutions are not legally binding like those of the Council, but they have a strong political value depending on the number of countries that approve them.
In 2014, a similar condemnation of Russia for the annexation of Crimea, which was carried out without bloodshed unlike the current invasion, obtained 100 votes in favor, 11 against, while 58 countries opposed abstained and that the rest of the 193 members had not taken part in the ballot.