US 'optimistic' over Syria vote
Hillary Clinton
The US is “cautiously optimistic” of strong support for a new UN Security Council resolution condemning the violence in Syria and calling for a political transition in the country.
The senior US official said a draft resolution proposed by Morocco was likely to clear a security council vote later, as it appeared to meet Russian concerns.
The official said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would speak to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by phone from her plane as she flies to Europe.
“From our perspective, this resolution fully supports the Syrian people and the Arab League,” the official said.
The new draft repeats all the conditions the Arab League had set and fully supports its call for a Syrian-led political transition, the official said.
It also sets a deadline of 21 days to make progress on the resolution; if there is no progress, the issue returns to the Security Council.
While the draft does not contain any new sanctions, it gives the council an opportunity to revisit the situation, the official said. He said the resolution should draw a strong show of support from the council’s members.
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