UN to vote Saturday on humanitarian cease-fire in Syria

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council delayed a vote on a resolution demanding a 30-day humanitarian cease-fire across Syria until Saturday in hopes of closing a gap over the timing for a halt to fighting.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has called an immediate cease-fire unrealistic, and in an apparent bid to get Russian support, sponsors Kuwait and Sweden amended the draft resolution to drop a demand that the cease-fire take effect 72 hours after the resolution's adoption.

Instead, the new text circulated Friday night "demands that all parties cease hostilities without delay."

Earlier, after six hours of negotiations, Kuwait's U.N. Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaiba, the current council president, told reporters Friday evening that members "are so close" to agreement, and negotiations are continuing.  

Source: Yahoo News