Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: "Dialogue Sought"?
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 9:38 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 2156 GMT: The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution on Syria, pledging support for the Arab League's transition plan:
The initial count showed that the resolution, which is similar to one Russia and China vetoed in the Security Council on February 4th, received 137 votes in favour, 12 against and 17 abstentions, although three delegations said their votes failed to register on the electronic board.
Russia and China were among those that voted against the resolution.
2105 GMT: The Syrian activists are noting that while the UN debates Syria (see the live stream here) there are now reliable reports that Al Atareb, in the Aleppo governorate near Idlib, and Al Bokumal, near Deir Ez Zor and the border with Iraq, are both under heavy bombardment as we speak.
2048 GMT: The UN General Assembly is voting on a resolution on Syria that has been co-sponsored by 70 countries. Unlike security council agreements, a simple majority is necessary for the resolution to pass, and most expect that it will pass easily. So far, the UN appears to be readying to grant over $900,000 to fund a special envoy on the Syrian crisis who will cooperate with the Arab League.
Russia, Algeria, Lebanon, Sudan, Iraq and Yemen are expected to vote against the resolution. While the vote in non-binding, it could help lend legitimacy to further international efforts to end the crisis.