ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — The White House says Russia and China have placed themselves on the "'wrong side of history" by vetoing a U.N. resolution threatening sanctions to pressure President Bashar Assad to end the bloody conflict in his country.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One Thursday that the vote was "regrettable" and "highly unfortunate."
The 11-2 vote, with abstentions from South Africa and Pakistan, was the third double veto of a resolution addressing the Syria crisis by Russia and China, Damascus' most important allies.
Carney said the lack of U.N consensus "will have repercussions for the countries that vetoed the resolution for a long time in terms of how they're viewed by the Syrian people. Because there is no doubt that Syria's future will not include Bashar Assad."
