UNITED NATIONS — European members of the UN Security Council have clashed with Russia and China by raising concerns about Syria and the looming specter of civil war during a closed-door meeting, council diplomats said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, several diplomats said the French, British, German and Portuguese envoys supported a statement issued on Friday by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, who called for international protection of civilians in Syria and warned of a possible civil war.
Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Alexander Pankin, complained that French Ambassador Gerard Araud was flouting normal procedure by introducing issues "not on the agenda of the meeting," a diplomat present at the meeting said.
(Reuters)
