The United Nations Security Council struggled today to reach agreement on a statement of support for UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's mission to end violence in Syria that has brought the country to the brink of civil war.
The 15-nation panel held two rounds of negotiations on a Western-drafted statement that would express "full support" for Mr Annan's peace efforts while threatening Damascus with "further measures" if it fails to comply the council's demands within seven days.
The Western push for a "presidential statement" from the council backing Mr Annan's mission comes after Russia and China twice vetoed resolutions condemning Syria's yearlong assault on demonstrators opposed to President Bashar al-Assad that the UN says has killed over 8,000 civilians.
After a two-hour closed-door negotiating session, Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin suggested to reporters that Moscow was prepared to back the Western-drafted statement.
"Some need instructions," he said when asked why the council had not approved the statement. "We were ready to go."
But a senior Western diplomat challenged Mr Churkin's remarks, saying it was the Russian envoy who pushed for a delay in the adoption of the statement. "He (Churkin) decided in the end that he wanted to wait until tomorrow morning," the diplomat said.
If no one raises any objections by tomorrow morning, the statement will be automatically adopted without a vote under a process at the UN known as a "silence procedure."
Also up for automatic approval on Wednesday morning is a draft of informal remarks to the press that Syria's close ally Russia asked the council to approve. Those remarks would have the council condemn bomb attacks last weekend in the cities of Damascus and Aleppo.
Rebels flee city of Deir al-Zor
Syrian rebel fighters have been forced to flee the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor in the face of a fierce army assault.
Opposition sources said government troops also shelled residential areas in the cities of Hama and Homs, and the nearby town of Rastan, killing at least 10 people.
A soldier was also reportedly killed in a raid on an army checkpoint in the south of the country.
Reports from Syria cannot be independently verified because authorities have barred access to rights groups and journalists.
Meanwhile, a human rights group has accused the armed opposition of committing torture and arbitrary executions during the 12-month uprising, charges previously only levelled at the state security apparatus.
Human Rights Watch said the rebels were guilty of serious crimes, citing cases of kidnapping, torture and cold-blooded killings.
"The Syrian government's brutal tactics cannot justify abuses by armed opposition groups," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, in an open letter to dissident groups.
Despite recent successes, President Assad still faces significant outside pressure.
