BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - The UN Security Council has failed to adopt a resolution aiming to boost security in the Strait of Hormuz as it was vetoed by permanent members China and Russia.
The draft resolution sought to strongly encourage States interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz - which lies between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates - and to 'coordinate efforts' defensively, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation there, including the use of escorts for merchant and commercial vessels.
The draft also demanded that Iran immediately cease all attacks on shipping and any attempt to impede transit or freedom of navigation in the strait.
Eleven countries voted in favour of the draft, while Colombia and Pakistan abstained.
Fifteen countries sit on the UN Security Council whose five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - have the right of veto any resolution or decision.
The text was submitted by Bahrain alongside Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Speaking after the vote, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani expressed regret on their behalf.
'The Council failed to shoulder its responsibility in relation to an illegal conduct that requires decisive action with no delay,' he said.
'Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the peoples of the world, the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organization responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.'
Explaining Russia's vote, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that the resolution presented Iranian actions as the sole source of regional tensions while illegal attacks by the United States and Israel were 'not mentioned at all.'
Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said the draft 'failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict in a comprehensive and balanced manner.'
Iran's Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the draft sought 'to punish the victim for defending its sovereignty and vital national interests in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, while providing political and legal cover for further unlawful acts by the aggressors.'
The critical shipping corridor remains largely closed to global trade and the transport of humanitarian aid, with war continuing to rage across the region.
The resolution was failed on the same day the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on the 39-days long Middle East war.
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