Bashar Ja'afari, the Syrian permanent representative to the UN, said here Thursday that the passing of a draft resolution on Syria would only encourage more chaos in the region and embolden armed groups to take more action against the state and civilians.

Ja'afari's statement came as the UN General Assembly met on the prevention of armed conflict and a draft resolution on Syria.

Ja'afari called on member states to vote against the resolution, which later passed with 137 votes in favor, 12 against, and 17 abstentions.

"In this context, we would like to confirm that any biased, unobjective resolution would only send the wrong message to all of these extremists and terrorists, a message that their violence and their deliberate sabotage received the support of the members states of the United Nations and their encouragement," said Ja'afari. "Consequently, the adoption of such a resolution would only lead to tightening of the crisis and more violence in the region as a whole instead of solving the crisis peacefully."

The resolution on Syria supports the Arab League (AL) plan for political transition in Syria and calls for the appointment of a UN special envoy to the country.

Ja'afari said that Syria has deep concerns regarding the true intentions of some of the countries behind the new assembly resolution. He said that some of its backers have denied the existence of armed groups in Syria that commit acts of violence and that these sponsors have refused to add amendments that would invite the Syrian opposition to disassociate itself from armed groups.

He said Syria is particularly concerned that these other countries are "leading political and media aggression against Syria, providing all logistical support, all media, financial, and political support to the armed terrorist groups and securing them coverage in international fora."

These countries are "a major part of the problem" in Syria, Ja'afari told the assembly.

"They meant not to give any responsibility to the armed terrorist groups for launching terrorist attacks against the institutions of the state or civilians," he said. "They have ignored the reference to the responsibility, the sole responsibility of the Syrian state, the exclusive responsibility to protect its citizens from these attacks."

Ja'afari said those behind the condemnation of Syria in the General Assembly resolution have ignored the Syrian government's movements towards change and reform.

He said that on Feb. 26, Syria intends to hold a referendum on a Constitution that "provides for the establishment of a modern democratic Syrian state, a state of citizenship, of law, and equality among all citizens based on political pluralism and the separation of powers as well as the protection of public freedoms and the democratic exercise of authority through the ballot box."

Ja'afari also noted Syria's support for a national dialogue to help achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people.

"Therefore we welcome all honest efforts to support this comprehensive national dialogue including the Russian offer to host that Syrian dialogue in Moscow," he said. "We call upon all member countries to encourage the national Syrian opposition to take part in this comprehensive national dialogue."