UN veto power key guarantor of restraint, counterbalance - Lavrov

MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. The UN Security Council’s power of veto that often faces criticism is the main guarantor of the system of restraints and counterbalances, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman for his TV film "United Nations - 70 years" from the "Formula of Power" series. "The veto power that is often criticized is in fact the key guarantor to ensure restraints and counterbalances needed for any democratic system," the minister said. "Attempts to provoke situations falling under the use of veto power for some dirty political purposes are a different matter. This happened some times when our western partners submitted resolutions with absolutely no practical meaning, like the anniversary of the events in Srebrenica," Lavrov said. He said the UN Security Council should not take this or that side of the conflict that occurred 20 years ago. "The UN Security Council should be neither dragged into the criminal investigation of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash," Lavrov said. "I will not go into these details. Most importantly, the UN Security Council remains feasible and capable of playing a central role in the resolution of international crises in the future." Read more