Russia and China have vetoed a French-led UN Security Council draft resolution which would have referred the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court.
The resolution would have "condemned the 'widespread violation' of human rights and international humanitarian law by Syrian authorities and pro-government militias as well as abuses and violations by 'non-state armed groups' during the last three years."
The vetoes mark the fourth time in the past three years that Russia and China have used their powers as permanent council members to prevent any form of action against Bashar Assad's government.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin thought the event was something of a joke. As he smiled for reporters he said, "I'm going to be boringly predictable" - and then vetoed. He had "earlier had called the resolution a 'publicity stunt.'"
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power lamented: "Sadly, because of the decision of the Russian Federation to back the Syrian regime no matter what it does, the Syrian people will not see justice."
She might have added other reasons why the Syrian people have not seen justice, beginning with the decision by the Obama administration to embolden Assad in the first place by painting him as a "reformer" and reinstating a U.S. Ambassador to his regime. She could then have discussed the Obama administration's saving of Assad by narrowing its focus to chemical weapons, legitimizing Putin as a key player after the "red lines" debacle, prioritizing nuke talks with Iran over Iranian support for Assad, and so on. But she didn't.
In the meantime, the prospect the UN will come to the rescue of the Syrian people is currently zero.