Russia proposes diluted UN text on Syria attack in Turkey

Russia on Thursday blocked adoption of a draft U.N. statement condemning a deadly Syrian mortar attack on a Turkish town and proposed a weaker text calling for "restraint" on the border without referring to breaches of international law.

Western diplomats complained that Russia's proposed Security Council statement, if accepted, would weaken the message to an unacceptable degree.

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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "alarmed by escalating tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border" and worried that the risk of a wider regional conflict was growing, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Syria, meanwhile, wrote to the Security Council calling for restraint.

Read more: Daily Star

Posted in: Russia, Syria, Syrian border attack, Turkey, UN