[An Nahar] A new draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution to stop the violence in Syria contains concessions to Russia in an effort to overcome Moscow's objections, diplomats said on Thursday."They are not made explicit in the latest draft but it is very clear what they are referring to," one Western diplomat said, alluding to the doubts that Russia vowed would lead it to veto any "unacceptable" proposal.
International efforts to stop the bloodshed have so far failed, with Russia, a key all of Syria, firmly opposed to an Arab- and Western-backed U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the violence.
But diplomats hinted in New York on Wednesday that a compromise to overcome Russia's objections was possible.
"We have made some progress today," Britannia's U.N. ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told news hounds after a three-hour meeting of council members.
Russia's envoy Vitaly Churkin also said there was a much better understanding of what needed to be done to reach a consensus. "I think it was a pretty good session," he said.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Russia had a "less negative" attitude towards the resolution and a vote could take place "perhaps" next week.
The draft resolution, introduced by Morocco, calls for the formation of a unity government leading to "transparent and free elections," rather than for Assad to step down as proposed in an Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
plan.
It stresses that there will be no foreign military intervention in Syria as there was in Libya, which toppled Muammar Qadaffy
... the like of whose wardrobe will never be seen again. At least that's what we hope...