* Russia, China vote against General Assembly resolution
* 137 votes in favor, 12 against, 17 abstentions
* Syria rejects resolution and Arabs' 'shameful' position
(Adds quotes, details, background)
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The 193-nation U.N.
General Assembly ratcheted up the pressure on Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad on Thursday by overwhelmingly approving a
resolution that endorses an Arab League plan calling for him to
step aside.
The resolution, similar to one Russia and China vetoed in
the Security Council on Feb. 4, received 137 votes in favor, 12
against and 17 abstentions, though three countries said their
votes failed to register on the electronic board.
Russia and China were among those opposing the resolution,
which was drafted by Saudi Arabia and submitted by Egypt on
behalf of Arab states. Unlike in the Security Council, there are
no vetoes in the General Assembly, but its decisions lack the
legal force of council resolutions.
"Today the U.N. General Assembly sent a clear message to the
people of Syria - the world is with you," U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations Susan Rice said in a statement.
"An overwhelming majority of U.N. member states have backed
the plan put forward by the Arab League to end the suffering of
Syrians," she said. "Bashar al-Assad has never been more
isolated."
The resolution said the assembly "fully supports" the Arab
League plan aimed at halting Syria's 11-month crackdown on
anti-Assad demonstrators and urges U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon to appoint a special envoy to Syria.
It also condemns Damascus for "widespread and systematic
violations of human rights" and calls for the withdrawal of
Syrian forces from towns and cities. The United Nations says
more than 5,400 civilians have been killed in the uprising.
Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari rejected the resolution,
telling the assembly it was part of a plot to overthrow Syria's
government and allow the "terrorist" opposition to take over the
country.
"We have deep concerns vis-a-vis the real intentions of the
countries that have co-sponsored this draft, particularly that
these countries are leading a political and media aggression
against Syria," he said.
Those countries, Ja'afari said, are providing "all media,
financial and political support to the armed terrorist groups
and securing them coverage in international fora."
NEW SECURITY COUNCIL MOVE?
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the resolution
"reflects the worrying trend ... to attempt to isolate the
Syrian leadership, to reject any contact with it and to impose
an external formula for a political settlement."
Earlier this week, Arab countries rejected proposed Russian
amendments to the resolution that would have sought to blame
Syria's government and opposition equally for the violence.
Western diplomats said before the vote that a large majority
in favor of the resolution would increase the pressure on Assad
to comply with the Arab League plan, and would highlight the
isolation of Russia and China on the issue.
Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Bolivia were among other
countries that voted against the resolution and whose delegates
voiced support for the Syrian government.
France and other Western powers have suggested that they
would like to make a third attempt to persuade Russia not to
block action on Syria in the Security Council. But U.N.
diplomats say there are no signs Moscow is prepared to allow the
15-nation panel to pass any condemnation of Syria.
Before their Feb. 4 double veto, Moscow and Beijing, which
oppose what they see as foreign interference in Syria, also
knocked down a European-drafted resolution in October that would
have condemned Damascus and threatened it with sanctions.
British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said Thursday's vote
"sent a clear signal of the international community's
condemnation of the Syrian regime's actions and intention to
hold to account those responsible for the ongoing atrocities."
Egypt's deputy U.N. ambassador, Osama Abdul-Khaleq, said the
resolution was a message to Damascus that it was "high time to
listen to the voice of its people."
The league has called for the establishment of a joint
U.N.-Arab League peacekeeping mission for Syria, but Western
powers have reacted coolly to the idea and Thursday's resolution
did not endorse it.
In a bitter concluding statement, Ja'afari blasted what he
called the Arab League's "shameful position," which he said was
aimed at "the settling of political accounts with Syria."
"Good luck to the Arab League in implementing the tasks
entrusted to it by Israel," he said. "Congratulations for this
new alliance between the League of Arab States and Israel and
the historical enemies of Syria."
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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