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United Nations, Feb. 23 (AP) — Ukraine’s supporters are urging the United Nations General Assembly to vote Thursday on a resolution calling for Russia to end hostilities and withdraw its troops from its neighbor on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.
The draft resolution is almost certain to be passed later in the day, but it is not binding. Diplomats from Ukraine’s allies are seeking to win support from more countries that have been ambivalent about the war in previous votes, including China.
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Foreign ministers and diplomats from more than 75 countries addressed the assembly during the two-day debate, many of them urging support for the resolution to preserve Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The war, which began on February 24, 2022, has left tens of thousands dead on both sides and reduced entire cities to rubble.
Venezuela’s deputy ambassador addressed the council on behalf of 16 countries that had voted against or abstained from nearly all five previous resolutions on Ukraine: Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Laos, Mali , Nicaragua, North Korea, Saint Vincent, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
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As other countries focused on Russia’s actions, Deputy Ambassador Joaquin Perez Ayestaran said on Wednesday that all countries, without exception, “must strictly abide by the UN Charter.”
He said the countries in his bloc opposed what he called divisive action at the convention and supported a “spirit of compromise”.
In his own appeal, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said Ukrainians “deserve not only our sympathy, but also our support and solidarity”.
The UN General Assembly has become the most important UN body dealing with Ukraine, as the Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto. Unlike Security Council resolutions, the five previous UN General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine are not legally binding, but serve as a barometer of world opinion.
Parliament has no veto power, so the resolution is guaranteed to pass. The big question is how many “yes” votes it will get.
An Oct. 12 resolution condemning Russia’s “attempted illegal annexation” of four Ukrainian regions and calling for its immediate dismantling won the highest number of votes out of five, 143 to 5, with 35 abstentions. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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