Joint Russia-China comment on the work over UNSC draft press statement on attacks on US embassy in Baghdad
With reference to the comment of the United States mission to the UN on January 6, 2020 concerning draft press statement on attacks on US embassy in Baghdad, Russia and China categorically reject the US accusation on not allowing the statement to proceed. Russia and China strongly advocate the principle of inviolability and safety of diplomatic missions in accordance with the international law and condemn attacks on diplomatic premises wherever they occur. The aforementioned American draft was presented and almost finalized just hours before the US launched unilateral military action in Iraq, striking civilian airport and killing Iranian General Soleimani and Iraqi officials.
This new development that violated international law and jeopardized regional peace and stability could not be ignored if the statement had to be adopted. Approving the statement without reflecting this context would have been simply tantamount to using the Security Council to justify the illegitimate US action of extrajudicial execution on a territory of a third country.
This was the real reason why the statement could not be adopted.
