UN General Assembly votes `yes' on Ukraine unity

UNITED NATIONS - The UN General Assembly ( UNGA) on Thursday adopted a resolution, affirming its commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and urging all parties to strive for peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis "through direct political dialogue."

Ukrainian Acting Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia (C) and Ukrainian ambassador to the UN Yuriy Sergeyev (1st L) wait for result after a UN General Assembly vote on a draft resolution regarding Ukraine, at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 27, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

The resolution, co-sponsored by countries such as Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania and Ukraine, received 100 votes in favor, 11 votes against and 58 abstentions. The General Assembly resolution is not legally binding.

The General Assembly "reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, " the resolution said.

The resolution "urges all parties to pursue immediately the peaceful resolution of the situation with respect to Ukraine through direct political dialogue, to exercise restraint, to refrain from unilateral actions and inflammatory rhetoric that may increase tensions, and to engage fully with international mediation efforts."

The General Assembly "calls upon all States to desist and refrain from actions aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including any attempts to modify Ukraine's borders through the threat or use of force or other unlawful means," the resolution said.

The General Assembly underscores that the March 16 referendum held in Crimea "having no validity, cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or of the city of Sevastopol."

The resolution "calls upon all States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or of the city of Sevastopol" and "to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status."

In the referendum, Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Russia last week, which is not recognized by major Western powers.

Azerbaijan, Benin, Bulgaria, Chile, Greece, Iceland, Libya, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States are among the countries that voted in favor of the draft resolution, while Armenia, Belarus, Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe voted against.

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