UN Security Council to vote on Syria East Ghouta ceasefire resolution Saturday

The United Nations has delayed the vote on the East Ghouta ceasefire resolution until 5pm GMT on Saturday, president of the Security Council, Kuwaiti Ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, told journalists. The delay was caused by intense diplomatic negotiations, led by Russia, which seeks amendments to the Swedish-Kuwaiti draft. Moscow objects to the wording of the draft resolution, which proposes a 30-day ceasefire, as it pins the blame for the escalation of violence on Damascus and prepares ground for a potential regime change in Syria. On Thursday, Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia criticized the text as “utopian” at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.