“I very much regret that the vetoes from Moscow and Beijing have prevented the international community from clearly demonstrating its unity of purpose to the Assad regime. The Security Council has missed an important opportunity to put a stop to the bloodshed in Syria.

With their intransigent stance, Moscow and Beijing have boosted those very people who want to keep on escalating the violence.

Syria’s future can only be peaceful if a political transition process is successfully launched. And that can only be achieved by engaging in dialogue, and not by resorting to the use of force. We will therefore continue working towards a political solution.”