UN council refuses to condemn Burkina Faso military coup

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has refused to condemn the military takeover in Burkina Faso last month or call it a coup, instead adopting a weak statement expressing “serious concern about the unconstitutional change of government” in the West African nation.. The council statement was in sharp contrast to the reactions of the African Union and the West African regional group ECOWAS which both condemned the coup and suspended Burkina Faso. The initial draft of the  council press statement was weakened further at the insistence of Russia, according to U.N. diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity Thursday because negotiations were private.