TELOnews.com

Russia, one of the five big powers at the UN, has dismissed an attempt by Mexico to discuss in the Security Council the current military conflict in Sri Lanka– specifically the humanitarian situation.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, a veto wielding permanent member, said the Sri Lanka situation does not warrant Security Council intervention.

Russia, along with the US, Britain, France and China, all exercise veto powers and decide on what political or military issues should be on the Council’s agenda.

A transcript of excerpts from a press briefing on Friday follows:

Question: We understand that a member made an informal request for a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka last week and somehow they told that Russia said that it was not in the agenda and should not be raised in the Council?

Ambassador Churkin: Well, we did not have much of a discussion on this matter. There was a little exchange happened briefly, but we do believe that Security Council must stick to the items on its agenda and if those items are not in the agenda there may be all sorts of situations there are other Fora where information can be exchanged, where people can discuss those things.

But Security Council must be involved in our view on matters where it can take some decisions if there was no intention to really involve the Council and we are told there is no intention to try to put it on the agenda of the Council. Then why not go to those other Fora, in order to inform oneself or the international community about the humanitarian situation.

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