The U.N. General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly voted to condemn the Syrian government and demanded a political transition in Syria.
The 1-93-nation assembly approved the Saudi-drafted resolution, which expressed "grave concern" at the escalation of violence in Syria, with 1-33 votes in favor, 12 against and 31 abstentions. Dozens of other countries, including many Western states co-sponsored the resolution.
As expected, Assad's staunch ally Russia was among the 12 countries that opposed the resolution in the assembly, where no country has a veto but all decisions are non-binding. Others that voted against it included China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Cuba and others nations that often criticize the West.
The resolution has the assembly "deploring the failure of the Security Council to agree on measures to ensure the compliance of Syrian authorities with its decisions."
It also calls for a "an inclusive Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, pluralistic political system."
