The United Nations General Assembly issued a strongly worded resolution on Thursday, in which it “condemned” Syria for the current unrest.

The United Nations General Assembly issued a strongly worded resolution on Thursday, in which it “condemned” Syria for the current unrest. However, Syrian envoy at the UN voiced his country’s rejection of the resolution, describing it as a biased.

Co-sponsored by 71 countries, the resolution condemned “widespread and systematic violations of human rights" by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The text demands that Syria "cease all violence and protect its population," free everyone detained in connection with the unrest, withdraw all troops from urban areas and guarantee freedom of demonstration.

It also insists on "full and unhindered access and movement" for Arab League monitors and international news media "to determine the truth about the situation on the ground."

For his part, Syria's Permanent Envoy to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari stressed that his country was being targeted in principle, not for any other reason.

"This measure poses a threat to the credibility of the General Assembly in dealing with important issues regarding the sovereignty of member states," Jaafari said during a speech at a UNGA meeting on Syria Thursday. 

He underlined that the draft resolution on Syria iwas distinctively biased and had no relation to what is happening in Syria.

China, Russia and Iran opposed the text put forward by Egypt and other Arab states, and supported by Western powers.
Seventeen nations abstained from the vote, which came few days after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council against Damascus.

The general Assembly resolution is non-binding and does not carry the same weight as a Security Council resolution.