PRESS RELIESE

1 June, in Geneva initiated by a group of western countries the next special session of the UN Human Rights Council was convened regarding the recent tragic events in the Syrian town of Hula. As a result of it s resolution condemning Syrian government solely for the incident was adopted.

Russia as well as China and Cuba voted against this resolution since this document is unbalanced, biased and contains a number of one-sided estimates. Government is categorically announced guilty of all crimes committed in Syria; it is also fully blamed for the violation of human rights. There is no condemnation of militants, bandits, terrorists, who committed the bombings in Damascus and Aleppo unleashed a hunt for Syrian civil state und municipal employees, public and religious figures, kill from round a corner university lecturers and medics, as well as abduct Muslim pilgrims.

Russia most resolutely denounces the massacre of civilians in Hula on May, 25. It was at the insistence of the Russian Federation that the UN Security Council held a special meeting on May 27 to discuss the tragedy. It is necessary to establish a reason and consequence of what happened in Hula in the framework of the investigation which the UN Security Council instructed to carry the UN observer mission in Syria (MOONNS).

The text of the resolution oversteps the framework of the HRC mandate, in fact, counter to the press statement of the UN Security Council on May 27.

Serious anxiety is provoked by attempts of some countries, without waiting for the results of work of MOONNS on the events in Hula, to finger out guilty even now and thus put pressure on the UN Security Council as well as to exploit this tragedy in their own interests and for scuttling the plan of the social envoy of the UN-LAS Kofi Annan.

We are still convinced that the settlement of the Syrian crisis is possible only through political and diplomatic means on the basis of clear and undeviating observance by all parties in the conflict of the Kofi Annan peaceful plan as well as relevant decisions of the UN Security Council.

Our country comes out against involving the HRC to launch a force scenario in Syria. Therefore it is important not to anticipate the results the results of the investigation of the crime committed in Hula, conducted by MOONNS together with national authorities.

The only way out of the Syrian crisis, including its human rights component, is to stop the violence and consistent support for the Kofi Annan plan. Russia will abide by thus stand, in the future too, and calls on other states to act the same way in deeds.

3 June 2012