'Some progress' in UN talks on Syria resolution

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council made "some progress" Wednesday in talks aimed at persuading Russia to back a tough resolution condemning deadly violence in Syria, the British envoy said.

Both Russia and China -- which have veto power in the 15-member council -- have expressed reservations about the proposed Western and Arab-backed draft, which includes a call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's resignation. "We made some progress today," Britain's UN ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant, told reporters after a meeting among Council members that lasted for nearly three hours.

"There is a desire to get to a text that can be adopted in the next few days but we are not there yet," Lyall Grant said. Russia's envoy Vitaly Churkin said: "We have a much better understanding of what needs to be done to reach a consensus... I think it was a pretty good session."

The original resolution proposed by Morocco and backed by the Arab League and Western powers calls for Assad to step down and seeks an end to a military crackdown that has left between 5,000 and 6,000 people dead.

A new draft was expected to be prepared following Wednesday's talks and submitted to Council members on Thursday for new discussions, diplomats said.

One diplomat said the talks had focused on the degree of support the Council should offer to the Arab League's proposal to break the impasse in Syria. AFP