UN outraged at attacks on civilians in Syria

The UN Security Council expressed outrage on Thursday at attacks on civilians and medical facilities in Syria and warned they may amount to war crimes.

Syria: Terrorist organizations and their Saudi and Turkish allies committed crimes against humanity in Aleppo

Syria reiterated on Tuesday its demand that the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General condemn the crimes committed by armed terrorist groups, particularly the terrorist attacks on Aleppo city.

Syria regrets Western countries’ stance against preventing an act of aggression

Syria regretted that the representatives of Western countries in the UN Security Council took a stand against the Russia-proposed draft resolution demanding that Turkey and other countries refrain from committing what would be an act of aggression against Syria.

Russia demands UN Security Council meet over Syria

Russia called for a UN Security Council meeting Friday over fears of a possible Turkish ground operation in Syria, after Ankara mooted a possible joint intervention with Gulf and Western allies. The meeting is due to begin at 9pm Paris Time (GMT+1).

UN Security Council to prepare 'further measures' against North Korea

The UN Security Council agreed on Wednesday to prepare further unspecified measures against North Korea after it carried out a fourth nuclear test.

Mosul gap remains between Turkey, Iraq

The gap between Ankara and Baghdad over the deployment of Turkish troops to a base near Mosul continues to widen, with the Iraqi Foreign Ministry set to lodge a formal complaint at the U.N. Security Council and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowing that those forces will not be pulled back.

Hollande: We will eradicate terrorism

French President Francois Hollande vowed that France would eradicate “terrorism” in address to an exceptional joint gathering of parliament on Monday in Versailles, south of Paris.

UN backs EU military action against migrant smugglers

The UN Security Council on Friday gave its approval to a European military operation to seize and dispose of boats run by migrant smugglers in the Mediterranean off Libya's coast.

Russia’s UN envoy urges meeting of all sides to Yemen conflict

All parties to the conflict in Yemen should gather in the country as soon as possible, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said Wednesday on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

UN Security Council action on Palestinian statehood blocked

UN, 30 December 2014 – Falling short of the required number of positive votes and faced with a veto from one of its permanent members, the United Nations Security Council today failed to adopt a draft resolution that would have affirmed the “urgent need” to reach within 12 months a peaceful solution to the situation in the Middle East and would have paved the way to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Palestinians demand UN vote on Israeli withdrawal, defeat likely

UN Security Council is expected to vote as early as Tuesday afternoon on a Palestinian draft resolution that calls for a peace deal with Israel within a year and an end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by late 2017.

Arab League to push UN on Palestinian state. (Draft resolution to the Security Council setting a timeframe for creation of Palestinian state)

The Arab League has agreed to present to the UN Security Council a draft resolution that will set a timeframe for the creation of a Palestinian state.

"We can no longer wait. We can no longer live with the status quo. Israel wants us to be an authority without authority," Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said. "I understand the consequences of the UNSC move, but the most dangerous situation we can be in is remain in the status quo."

Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela elected to serve on UN Security Council

UN, 16 October 2014 – In three rounds of voting the United Nations General Assembly today elected Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on 1 January 2015.
The new members will serve on the Council until 31 December 2016.
Angola Malaysia, Venezuela and New Zealand were elected in the first vote. The Assembly then held two rounds of restricted balloting to elect Spain to fill the remaining seat on the Council open to the Western European and Other States Group. Turkey was the other contender for that seat.

Poroshenko cancels visit to Turkey, calls urgent Security Council meeting

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has cancelled a visit to Turkey and convened an urgent national security council meeting over the situation in the Donetsk region, the presidential press service said on Thursday.

"I have decided to cancel the working visit to Turkey in connection with the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Donetsk region, in particular in the Amvrosiyevka and Starobeshevo," he said.

UN to hold emergency meeting over Russian aid convoy

 The United Nations Security Council is to hold emergency consultations this evening after Russia sent an aid convoy rolling into eastern Ukraine.
  Lithuania requested the meeting to be held at 3pm local time (7pm Irish time) to discuss the entry of scores of trucks that Ukraine has described as an "invasion”. The Pentagon has said the US is very concerned about the movement of the convoy into the Ukraine and has urged Moscow to withdraw it immediately. 

UN Security Council calls for Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire

The UN Security Council called for a ceasefire in hostilities between Israel and Palestinians on Saturday, expressing its deep concern over the welfare and protection of civilians on both sides of the conflict.

“The Security Council members called for de-escalation of the situation, restoration of calm, and reinstitution of the November 2012 ceasefire,” the 15-member body said in a statement.

It also called for the respect of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians.

The Security Council’s statement came as Israel rushed an eighth missile interceptor battery into service on Saturday to counter stronger-than-expected rocket fire from Gaza, and the military struck positions in the Palestinian enclave for a fifth day.

UN chief seeks arms embargo in Syria conflict

Ban Ki-moon calls on Security Council "to stem the flow of arms" to Syria, that he called "increasingly a failed state"....

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Syria, describing foreign powers and groups as "irresponsible" for giving military support to the warring parties in the three-year conflict.
"If divisions in the Council continue to prevent such a step, I urge countries to do so individually," said Ban on Friday.

Russia, China block Security Council referral of Syria to International Criminal Court

UN, 22 May 2014 – Despite repeated appeals by senior United Nations officials for accountability for crimes being committed in Syria, the Security Council was unable today to adopt a resolution that would have referred the situation in the war-torn nation to the International Criminal Court (ICC), due to vetoes by permanent members Russia and China.

The resolution, which was backed by the other 13 members of the Council, would have given the Court the mandate to investigate the horrific crimes committed during the course of the conflict in Syria, which since March 2011 has witnessed the deaths of over 100,000 civilians, the displacement of millions and widespread violations of human rights.

United Nations Security Council action on Crimea referendum blocked

UN, 15 March 2014 – Owing to the negative vote of one of its permanent members, the United Nations Security Council today failed to adopt a draft resolution which urged countries not to recognize the results of this weekend's referendum in Crimea.
Thirteen of the Council's 15 members voted in favour of the draft text, Russia voted against, and China abstained. A veto by any of the Council's five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – means a resolution cannot be adopted.