China Monday hit back at the US for criticising its blocking of a UN Security Council resolution over civilian aid, accusing Washington of "politicising humanitarian issues."

On Saturday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described as "shameful" Russia and China blocking the UN resolution, which would have extended for a year cross-border humanitarian aid to four million Syrians.

"To Russia and China, who have chosen to make a political statement by opposing this resolution, you have blood on your hands," Pompeo said in a statement.

China reacted angrily Monday, saying it voted on the basis of "right and wrong".

"We firmly reject the unjustifiable accusations made by the US side on China's voting position," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Geng said the US was "politicising humanitarian issues" and "pursuing a typical double standard".

Humanitarian aid currently flows into Syria through UN-designated checkpoints in Turkey and Iraq without the formal permission of the regime in Damascus, but that authority is due to expire on January 10.

Germany, Belgium and Kuwait presented a resolution extending that authority for a year, winning the support of 13 council members but drawing the vetoes of Russia and China.

A competing Russian resolution would have granted a six-month extension while reducing the number of UN crossing points, but it failed to get the minimum nine votes.

Russia -- an ally and major supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- has used its veto 14 times on Syrian issues since civil war broke out there in 2011.

The resolution failed as tens of thousands of civilians have been fleeing the northwestern Idlib region amid heavy bombardments by Assad's Russian-backed government, in the last bastion of the jihadist opposition.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Turkey warns of 'escalation' if US ends Cyprus arms embargo
Ankara (AFP) Dec 18, 2019
Turkey has warned that US moves to lift a decades-old arms embargo on Cyprus would be a "dangerous escalation", as relations deteriorated further between the NATO allies. The US Congress voted Tuesday to end the embargo on the island, which was imposed in 1987 to avoid an arms race and encourage the conflict's resolution. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup engineered by the then military regime in Athens. The US decision "will have no outcome other t ... read more