Speaking to the 15-member UN Security Council, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on all nations to come together on Syria, as she clashed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday.
Addressing the Security Council, Clinton said,
"We believe that now is the time for all nations, even those who have previously blocked our efforts, to stand behind the humanitarian and political approach."
"We do not believe that sovereignty demands that this council stand silent when governments massacre their own people."
"And we reject any equivalence between premeditated murders by a government's military machine and the actions of civilians under siege driven to self-defence."
Whilst Lavrov was critical of “making hasty demands for regime change”, he went on to state, that there
"is no doubt whatsoever that the Syria authorities bear a huge share of responsibility for the current situation."
Previously, two UN Security Council resolutions condemning the Syrian governments role in the rapidly escalating conflict, have been vetoed by both Russia and China.