NEW YORK, September 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia abstained from a UN Security Council vote to extend the authorization of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan for another 12 months, reported RIA Novosti Thursday.
Russia raised objections on Wednesday to the unexpected inclusion in the document of a sentence expressing appreciation to NATO as well as to contributors from many nations to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), "including its maritime interdiction component."
Diplomats said the contested sentence was added mainly to give support to Japan's government, whose decision to continue the country's naval role in the ISAF has faced domestic opposition.
Russia's envoy to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said Russia had abstained from the vote because the issue of maritime interception was not clarified, and the resolution "should not have given priority to domestic considerations."
The vote was 14-0, with Russia the only country to abstain. China, despite also expressing concern over the document's wording, supported the resolution.
The ISAF currently has around 40,000 soldiers in Afghanistan. The country's former Taliban rulers, forced from power by U.S. and Afghan forces in 2001, have stepped up their activities dramatically of late, launching increasingly regular attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces.
Churkin also commented that the mandate for the ISAF still had a month to run before its expiration, and that council members should have "exerted every effort to get unanimity."
An ISAF humvee overlooks Khost, Afghanistan.
The United Nations Security Council has voted 14–0 to extend the mandate of the  (ISAF) in Afghanistan by another year.

The resolution says the Security Council agreed to, "extend the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force, as defined in resolutions 1386 (2001) and 1510 (2003), for a period of 12 months beyond October 13, 2007."

Although Russia has veto power on the Security Council, it abstained during the 14-0 vote on September 19th.  

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, , told ''RIA Novosti'' Russia abstained because of what he called, "the unexpected inclusion in the document of a sentence expressing appreciation to NATO ....  "including its maritime interdiction component." "

Part of Resolution 1776 (2007) reads, "Expressing its appreciation for the leadership provided by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and for the contributions of many nations to ISAF and to the OEF coalition, including its maritime interdiction component."

Media reports indicate this section of the resolution provides support to Japan in a domestic dispute in that country over refueling of U.S. and other ships in the Indian Ocean.  Japanese government spokesperson, Kaoru Yosano, told ''Reuters'' the resolution was welcome, adding, "It is very important that Japan's refueling activity was evaluated highly by the United Nations and members of the U.N. Security Council."

"A decision was made to give priority to domestic considerations of some members of the United Nations," Churkin told ''Agence France Presse''. "The unity of the Security Council has been sacrificed to undue haste."

Even before the Security Council vote, Japanese officials hoped the resolution would clear the way to extend a naval mission assisting U.S.-led Afghanistan military operations, showing support for Washington and averting a conflict in the Japanese in parliament as a new government begins its mandate there.

The leader of Japan's main opposition Democratic Party, Ichiro Ozawa, has opposed extending Japan's mission to refuel coalition ships in the Indian Ocean, in part because he says the activities lack a direct U.N. imprimatur.

Although expressing concerns about the resolution, and calling for future decisions on the issue to be made "by consensus", China supported the resolution.

The resolution extends the ISAF mission mandate under Chapter VII of the  until October 13, 2008.

Expressing its concern about all civilian casualties, the resolution, condemns "in the strongest terms all attacks, including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks, suicide attacks and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan," as well as "the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields."

The resolution also calls for ISAF coalition members to, "sustain their efforts to train and empower the National Police and other Afghan forces."  

ISAF currently has approximately 39,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan.  Its mission, as stated on the ISAF web page, is to, "conduct military operations in the assigned area of operations to assist the Government of Afghanistan in the establishment and maintenance of a safe and secure environment with full engagement of Afghan National Security Forces, in order to extend government authority and influence, thereby facilitating Afghanistan's reconstruction and contributing to regional stability."