Foreign Minister Westerwelle on the situation in Syria on the first anniversary of the uprising

“We are extremely disappointed that it has not yet been possible for the UN Security Council to agree on the wording of a resolution.

I have publicly criticised Russia and China on several occasions for vetoing the proposals.

I have also sought dialogue on the issue, most recently on Monday and Tuesday in the Security Council in New York. There we considered our options once again.

We will now do our utmost to ensure that Kofi Annan receives the necessary support from the international community. He is the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria. A lot will depend on what he says this week.

It is in my opinion notable that the Russian Government has for the very first time publicly criticized the lack of cooperation evinced by the Assad regime. I hope this is a sign that we are closer than ever to finding a common position.

We owe this to the people in Syria who face violence and oppression. So far, at least 8000 people have died, including hundreds of children. Atrocities of this scale have to be clearly condemned by the international community. For this reason it is also vital that sanctions be continued.”