The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution condemning its Security Council over unrest in Syria

The non-binding resolution was approved by 133 votes to 12 with 31 abstentions on Friday, 03-08-2012.

The resolution, which was drawn up by Saudi Arabia, also condemns the Syrian government’s use of "heavy weapons" and its failure to withdraw troops from towns. The resolution did not call for President Bashar al-Assad to quit.

The move came a day after UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan quit his post after blaming a lack of international support for his six-point plan aimed at ending the country's violence.

Syria's envoy to UN Bashar Ja'afari however, said that the adoption of resolution sends a wrong message to terrorists and will extend extremism and terrorism not only in Syria but in the whole region.

He also said that states sponsoring the resolution, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have poor human rights record.

Ahead of the vote, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon told the assembly that Syria had become a "proxy war" and also urged world powers to overcome 'rivalries' and agree on a solution for the Syrian unrest. He also said that the UN Security Council has become "paralyzed" by divisions over the conflict.

The acts of brutality that are being reported may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes," Ban said.

Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since mid-March, 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

Source: PressTV (03/08/2012) http://presstv.com/detail/2012/08/03/254268/un-condemns-security-council-over-syria/