France slams Russia, China block on UN Syria vote

PARIS: France on Wednesday slammed as "indecent" Russia and China's "blocking" of a proposed United Nations resolution condemning Syria's deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests.

"It is indecent because (Syrian leader) Bashar Al-Assad has mobilised incredible resources to neutralise his opposition," said Defence Minister Gerard Longuet.

"Countries... like China... and Russia must accept common rules: one does not deal with one's opposition with cannon fire," he told LCI television news channel.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon on Monday said it was "no longer acceptable" that Russia and China were allowed to block a proposed resolution to the UN Security Council on Syria.

France, Britain, Germany and Portugal have proposed the resolution condemning the crackdown by Assad's government. Russia and China are strongly opposed and Brazil, South Africa and India have raised strong objections.

Mobs attacked the French and US embassies in Damascus on Monday after the ambassadors of the two countries last week travelled to the flashpoint protest city of Hama, north of the capital.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011