SA abstains on UNSC Syria vote

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) international relations spokesman, Ian Davidson said on Friday that South Africa should no longer be neutral regarding the conflict in Syria. He said, “While the death toll in Syria continues to rise, South Africa’s representatives in the UN Security Council have once again abstained from voting in support of decisive UN action in Syria.” He added, “Once again, the department of international relations and co-operation (DIRCO) is allowing autocratic regimes with poor human rights records to dictate South Africa’s foreign policy.”

The Deputy International Relations and Co-operation Minister, Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim said on Friday,
South Africa declined to vote on a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Syria because it was “unbalanced”. He told the reporters, “We abstained because we felt the resolution was unbalanced; it only targeted the Syrian government,” “It said nothing about the opposition, who are now fighting in the capital [Damascus].”
He said South Africa supported the extension of the closing date for the UN mission in Syria, but the motion should not have included the issue of sanctions. He also said that the revolutionary forces in Syria were not just protecting themselves, but were on the offensive and sought to take power.
Yesterdat, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution to extend a UN observer mission in Syria for 45 days. The motion also endangered Syrian authorities with sanctions if they did not stop using heavy weapons against the revolution and withdraw troops from towns and cities. The Russians were against this phase of the resolution, as they said it could open the door to military interference. Pakistan and South Africa also abstained from voting.