UN General Assembly votes in favour of Syria ceasefire

The UN General Assembly has demanded an immediate ceasefire in Syria and urgent aid deliveries in a resolution adopted by a strong majority as Syrian forces launched another assault on Aleppo. 

The measure drafted by Canada passed by a vote of 122 to 13 in the 193-nation assembly yesterday, with 36 abstentions. Russia, Iran and China opposed the resolution.

Lebanon, Iraq, South Africa, Nigeria and India were among the countries that abstained from the vote on the non-binding text. The vote came as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces carried out more air raids on Aleppo



and the United Nations reported that hundreds of men had gone missing after fleeing the battered city.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin accused the United States of engaging in aggressive rhetoric and argued that the resolution had major shortcomings by failing to emphasize the need to combat terrorist groups. 

Russia and China this week vetoed a draft Security Council resolution calling for a seven-day ceasefire in Aleppo, the Syrian city that is on the verge of falling to government forces. It was the sixth time that Moscow, a close Assad ally, has used its veto in the council to block action over Syria.