Russia Changes UN Security Council Language On Syria-Turkey Conflict

Russia, one of the foremost backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, recently threw a small hissy-fit in the chambers of the U.N. and got some language changed in a statement condemning the Syrian attack on Turkey, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Russia purposefully blocked the approval of a statement because of the language, and proposed a weaker text calling for “restraint” on the border, removing any references to breaches of international law, Reuters said.

Reuters obtained a copy of the original statement that said “The Security Council called on the parties to exercise restraint and avoid military clashes which could lead to a further escalation of the situation in the border area between Syria and Turkey.”

The new language says, “reduce tensions and forge a path toward a peaceful resolution of the Syrian crisis,” and removed the sentence, “such violations of international law constitute a serious threat to international peace and security.”

Either way, the statement probably won’t have that much effect -- as Western diplomats at the meeting reportedly pointed out, the statement was non-binding.