Turkey said on Wednesday it would impose sanctions on Syria despite the blocking of any U.N.
measures against President Bashar al-Assad for his crackdown on dissent.
Russia and China handed Assad a diplomatic victory on
Tuesday by vetoing a Western-backed U.N. resolution that could have led to U.N.
sanctions on Damascus, but Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan promised
action of his own.
"Naturally the
veto...cannot prevent sanctions," Erdogan said. "We will of necessity
implement a package of sanctions."
Erdogan, who is visiting South
Africa, has said he will announce the package after he visits a Syrian refugee
camp in Turkey in the next few days.
The double veto by Moscow and
Beijing infuriated Western powers which have already imposed their own
sanctions on Syria and were trying to pave the way for a U.N. embargo, and will
reinforce Assad's hold on power -- at least in the short term.
"This is a sad day for
the Syrian people. It's a sad day for the Security Council," France's
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.
Germany also expressed disappointment. A government
spokesman said the draft resolution would have been an important signal of
support for many Syrians "who for months have been taking to the streets
for political freedom."
Syria's state news agency SANA
said Damascus welcomed the veto. "It restores hope for a balanced world
... after a long time of American and European domination which turned the
Security Council's resolutions into a tool for punishing defenders of
independence and liberation," SANA said.
The draft resolution received
nine votes in favor and four abstentions. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said
Washington was outraged and called for "tough targeted sanctions" on
Damascus.
Russia's ambassador Vitaly
Churkin said Moscow rejected the threat of sanctions on Syria and China's envoy
Li Baodong said Beijing opposed "interference in (Syria's) internal
affairs."
Russia has close ties with Assad's
government, which has been a client for arms sales, and has a naval maintenance
facility on Syria's Mediterranean coast.
Beijing and Moscow, which had
voiced concern that the draft could pave the way for Libya-style military
intervention, also want to limit Western influence in the Middle East, while
the United States and Europe have long sought to loosen Syria's alliance with Iran.
Assad has used tanks and
troops to crush an uprising which erupted in March, inspired by regional
revolts which toppled three North African leaders this year.
The United Nations says 2,700
civilians have been killed. Damascus blames the violence on foreign-backed
armed groups which it says have killed at least 700 security personnel.
Syria's economy is reeling from the impact of the
unrest and U.S. and European sanctions on the small but key oil sector.
ASSAD "REINFORCED"
Assad faces a more united
opposition after groups in exile came together in Istanbul on Sunday to call
for his downfall, but the U.N. vote marks a setback to his opponents who had
hoped for an escalation in international pressure on Damascus.
"We deeply regret the
positions of Russia and China toward the resolution," said Omar Idlibi of
the grassroots Local Coordination Committee in Beirut, adding he had "not
lost hope in the international community."
Idlibi said the opposition was
studying options including a general strike or civil disobedience campaign, but
analysts said Assad did not look threatened in the immediate future.
"The mere fact that Assad
can avoid international sanctions for the time being reinforces his position in
the short term," said Ayham Kamel from the Eurasia thinktank.
"Assad is going to remain
in power in the near term. I don't think there are signs of imminent collapse
but Syria faces challenges across the country -- the economy, insecurity across
the country, and a more organized opposition."
Syria banned most imports last
month to try and conserve dwindling foreign currency reserves, but rescinded the measure on
Tuesday after a spike in prices and disquiet among an influential merchant
class that has been backing Assad.
Turkish sanctions could also
have a major impact. But Turkish officials have made clear that any measures
will target Assad's government and not the Syrian people.
For this reason Turkey has
ruled out cutting off electricity sales or reducing the flow of water in the
Euphrates river into Syria.
Bilateral trade between Turkey
and Syria was worth $2.5 billion in 2010, and Turkish firms had investments of
$260 million in Syria
One target of sanctions is
likely to be Syria's state banking system, which could effectively block
purchases of Syrian crude oil. Other possible measures could freeze Turkish
cooperation in oil and gas projects involving state-run firms.
"DEAD" WOMAN
REAPPEARS
State television broadcast an
interview on Wednesday with a young woman who denied reports by rights groups
last month that she had been killed and mutilated, possibly in state custody.
The mother of Zainab
al-Hosni, 18, from the city of Homs, confirmed that the woman on television was
her daughter, who was reported to have killed after disappearing in July, Human
Rights Watch said.
"We spoke to the family
and they were able to confirm that the person who appeared on TV was
Zainab," said Nadim Houry of HRW in Beirut. "The mother said she was
her daughter."
Hosni became an icon for the
Syrian revolt against Assad after the body of a badly burned, decapitated woman
was found in a morgue by Hosni's family, according to reports by HRW and
Amnesty International.
After months of peaceful
protests, some army deserters and dissidents have taken up arms, prompting
military operations against them, especially in areas bordering Turkey and Jordan.
Colonel Riad al-Asaad, a
Syrian officer who defected and fled to Turkey, said last week 10,000 soldiers
had deserted, but authorities have denied any army defections, saying the
military operations were a response to appeals by residents.
Assad retains control of the
military, whose mostly Sunni Muslim rank and file are largely commanded by
officers of his minority Alawite sect.
Syria has mostly closed its
doors to independent media, making it hard to verify events, but a trickle of
desertions appears to have gathered pace in the last several weeks.
(Additional reporting by Louis
Charbonneau at the
United Nations, Catherine Bremner in Paris, Brian; Rohan in Berlin, Simon
Cameron-Moore in Ankara and Peroshni Govender in Pretoria; Editing by Samia Nakhoul)
Source : Reuters
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