In her first appearance before the U.N. Security Council, US envoy to the United Nations, Susan Rice stated that the new U.S. administration feels a sense of responsibility towards protecting civilian populations from violations of international humanitarian law in case the concerned state is unwilling or unable to undertake the same. She stressed that the US will extend protection to civilians living in conflict zones and support international prosecutions of war crimes. But a similar idea was vetoed last year May, when the council discussed a proposal by France to allow the U.N. visit the military-ruled Myanmar and provide aid to the suffering civilians without the consent of the military junta. Many countries objected to the proposal on the question of sovereignty.