The United Nations General Assembly will vote Thursday on a new resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to put a stop to deadly attacks on civilians, diplomats said. The resolution drawn up by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which was given to member nations on Tuesday, also expresses support for the Arab League’s plan to end the 11-month crackdown in Syria and calls for the naming of a UN special envoy. The move comes after Russia and China vetoed a second Security Council resolution on the crisis in Syria on February 4, because they said it was “unbalanced.” Russia and China are expected to oppose the new text but no one can veto resolutions in the 193-nation General Assembly, though they carry less weight. Diplomats said the measure was almost sure to pass.
