In a historic move in the U.N. Security Council, both China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-British draft resolution on Myanmar on Friday, with both noting before the vote that the issue was not appropriate for the council as a threat to regional peace and security. South Africa also voted against the draft resolution, while Congo, Qatar, and Indonesia abstained from the vote. The last time a draft was vetoed by more than one permanent member was in 1989, when Britain, France, and the United States vetoed a draft on Libya and the U.S. downing of an aircraft. The draft called on Myanmar to cease military attacks against civilians in ethnic minority regions as well as put an end to human rights violations. The draft also called on the country to end its practice of forced labor and demanded that the government allow humanitarian organizations to operate in the country.
