Photo taken on March 19, 2018 shows the empty Security Council chamber at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The UN Security Council on Monday failed to convene a meeting on Syria's human rights situation after the provisional agenda failed to be adopted. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday failed to convene a meeting on Syria's human rights situation after the provisional agenda failed to be adopted.
Dutch ambassador to the United Nations Karel van Oosterom, who is president of the Security Council for March, had to abort the meeting, requested by France and six other members of the Security Council, after its provisional agenda had to be put to vote and failed to be adopted.
The provisional agenda was put to vote after the Russian representative expressed opposition to it, arguing that human rights issues should be discussed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, not by the Security Council.
The provisional agenda was rejected as only eight members of the council were in favor. Four members voted against and three others abstained. Adoption required at least nine votes.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein was supposed to brief the Security Council.
