The Union of Arab Intellectuals has voiced support for Arab calls to impose an economic and cultural boycott of Russia and China after both countries on Saturday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling on Syria's president to step down.
The draft resolution was part of an Arab League initiative to stop the bloodshed in the country. A government crackdown on anti-regime protests since last March has left more than 6,000 civilians dead at the hands of Assad's security forces.
The union’s statement said it had previously warned Russia and China of their unsupportive stances of the Syrian uprising, and advised both to respect the struggle of the Syrian people against corruption and tyranny. The union also called for sanctions against former Libyan ruler Muammar Qadhafi and a no-fly zone over the country during its the popular uprising earlier this year.
The union had informed producers and exports in both Russia and China of its intentions, the statement said.
It threatened the two countries with a full-scale cultural and economic war if they failed to respond to the union’s demands, the statement said.
The union said it will blacklist any importer that violates the boycott.
