UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. member states on Friday overwhelmingly voted to condemn theSyrian government at a special session of the General Assembly that Western diplomats said highlighted the isolation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's supporters Russia and China.
The 193-nation assembly approved the Saudi-drafted resolution, which expressed "grave concern" at the escalation of violence in Syria and condemned the Security Council for its action, with 133 votes in favor, 12 against and 31 abstentions.
Dozens of other countries, including many Western states, co-sponsored the resolution.
As expected, Assad's staunch ally Russia was among the 12 countries that opposed the resolution in the assembly, where no country has a veto but all decisions are non-binding. Others that voted against it included China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Cuba and others nations that often criticize the West.
Some countries did not participate in the vote.
The resolution has the assembly "deploring the failure of the Security Council to agree on measures to ensure the compliance of Syrian authorities with its decisions."
It also calls for "an inclusive Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, pluralistic political system" and expressed "concern at the threat by the Syrian authorities to use chemical or biological weapons."
The United States and European powers blame Russia for the deadlock on the 15-nation council. Last month Russia and China joined forces in their third double veto on the Syrian crisis to strike down a resolution that would have called for an end to the violence and threatened Damascus with sanctions.
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