Lavrov Urges Approval of UN Syria Statement

Russia's foreign minister is hopeful a UN statement backing its envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria will be approved on Wednesday.
"Russia is happy that the UN Security Council has reached a consensus to back Kofi Annan's proposals," Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting with his German and Polish counterparts in Berlin.
"Our partners from Western countries have asked for a little time-out. I hope this time-out will be over today and the document will be adopted," Lavrov added.

If adopted, the UN statement would not be binding.

Annan, the UN and Arab League's special envoy on Syria, has been meeting all sides in the yearlong unrest in the past few weeks.

Last month, Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on Syria, sparking international condemnation. Russia said the document was "unbalanced," and China said it would not help end the violence.

More than ۸,۰۰۰ people have been killed in Syria since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began a year ago.