The UN General Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution proposed by Qatar and other Arab countries which calls for a political transition in Syria and blames the Syrian government for escalating the crisis. The resolution was passed with 107 yes votes, 12 no votes and 59 abstentions. While the US strongly approved the resolution, key Syrian ally Russia urged a "no" vote, saying it was "counterproductive and irresponsible" to promote a one-sided resolution when Moscow and Washington are trying to get the Syrian government and opposition to agree to negotiations. In related news, US Secretary of Defense John Kerry will attend a summit of “Syria’s Friends” scheduled to take place next week in Jordan. The US government on Thursday ordered new sanctions against the Syrian government and anybody that supports it, including the Syrian ministers of defense, health care, and justice, Syria airlines, and Al-Dunya TV.