UN approves last 30 days for UN observers in Syria

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Friday renewing the 300-strong U.N. observer force in Syria for 30 days, leaving the door open for a possible extension if the government stops using heavy weapons and the escalating violence is reduced significantly.

The resolution is a lifeline for the unarmed observers who were sent to Syria three months ago to monitor a cease-fire that never happened, and to watch over the implementation of international envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan, flouted by President Bashar Assad's government.

The council voted shortly after Russia's ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov, said he believed Mr. Assad was ready to step down "in a civilized way." The Syrian government immediately denied it, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said the ambassador's statements were "wrongly interpreted."

The U.N. suspended the observers' patrols and most of their other activities on June 16 because of increased violence, and its mandate had been set to expire on Friday.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had said Friday morning that he would also veto the original British-drafted resolution on the observer mission and support a rival Pakistani text that would have extended the mission for 45 days, with the possibility of further renewals.

But after closed-door consultations called by Pakistan, all 15 council members reached agreement on a revised British text, which allows for the mission's renewal after 30 days if Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council confirm that the Syrian government has withdrawn heavy weapons from populated areas and both sides have significantly reduced the violence so the observers can do their job.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said the resolution would allow the observers to withdraw safely, and it was unlikely the situation on the ground would change enough to enable their mandate to be renewed a second time. Russia's Churkin countered: "This is not a resolution about withdrawal. It is a resolution about continuation of the mission."