“Today, the UN Security Council fell short in its responsibility to aid the fight against terrorism. The US made the responsible decision to veto the draft resolution that failed to acknowledge repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters [and] their families as a crucial first step”, Craft said via Twitter.
Earlier on Monday, the UN Security Council President for the month of August, Indonesian Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani whose country initiated the draft, announced that the resolution obtained 14 votes in favor and one veto in a closed voting procedure.
A resolution can be adopted by the 15-member UN Security Council if support is obtained from at least nine member states and no veto is exercised by any of the five permanent states - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The United States has consistently emphasized the need for countries to repatriate their citizens who have traveled to other countries to join terrorist organizations, such as the Daesh*. At the same time, European countries have been reluctant to repatriate their nationals who have gone abroad to join terrorist causes.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia and other countries.