Russia, China block UN resolution on Syrian sanctions

Russia on Tuesday castits seventh veto to protect the Syrian government from UnitedNations Security Council action, blocking a bid by Westernpowers to impose sanctions over accusations of chemical weaponsattacks during the six-year Syrian conflict.

China backed Russia and cast its sixth veto on Syria. Russiahad said the vote on the resolution, drafted by France andBritain, would harm UN-led peace talks between the warringSyrian parties in Geneva, which began last week.

The defeated resolution would also have banned all countries from supplying Syria's government with helicopters, which investigators have determined were used in chemical attacks.

• The challenge of destroying Assad's chemical weapons
• Thousands killed in mass hangings in Syrian prison since 2011,Amnesty says

Nine council members voted in favor of the resolution. Bolivia voted against the text,while Ethiopia, Egypt and Kazakhstan abstained. A resolutionneeds nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States,France, Russia, Britain or China to be adopted.

The resolution got the minimum number of votes.

The resolution followed a joint investigation by the UN and the international chemical weapons watchdog that determined the Syrian government was behind at least three attacks involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State extremist group was responsible for at least one involving mustard gas.