Peace plan now, UN tells Syria

Initial reports indicated that the so-called UN "presidential statement" had been watered down to gain approval from China and Russia, which have twice in the past vetoed Security Council resolutions condemning the brutal crackdown by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Wednesday's statement requires that Annan keep the Council abreast of developments related to his mission in Syria. It also calls for a Council review of whether Annan's proposals had been implemented by the Assad government within seven days and consider "further steps as appropriate" if that was not the case.

The United States welcomed the statement as a "modest step" forward on agreeing a common Security Council approach to Syria.

Meeting his German and Polish counterparts in Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier Wednesday that "the Council text reflects the reality in Syria and supports Annan's aims. We support it fully."

Annan handed Assad a six-point plan earlier this month calling for a UN-supervised end to fighting, a withdrawal of security forces from protest cities, a daily two-hour humanitarian break in fighting and access to all areas affected by the violence.

The statement, which carries less weight than a binding resolution, would set the conditions for the "beginning of political dialogue," Lavrov added.

Kremlin's warning

Lavrov warned that the statement should not turn into an ultimatum to the Syrian government. It should also avoid attributing blame for the ongoing violence to either the regime or opposition forces, he said.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said despite consensus over the draft, significant differences remained between Russia and other members of the Security Council.

"We are certainly not at the stage at which there are no disagreements. But the important thing is that we're now doing what needs to be done to help the [Syrian] people," Westerwelle said in Berlin, adding he hoped the statement would inject "new movement" in talks to end the violence.

China welcomed the UN statement and called on the international community "to support the mediation efforts by Annan," according to Beijing's permanent representative to the UN.

Homs under attack

Syrian forces, meanwhile, pounded the Khaldiyeh district of Homs for a second day on Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said 14 civilians were killed in the district on Tuesday and also reported renewed clashes in Damascus.

The United Nations says over 8,000 civilians have been killed in the crackdown since it began last year.

dfm/ipj (AFP, Reuters, dpa)