Russia holds firm against military intervention in Syria
Reporting from Beirut — As diplomats attempted to craft a compromise, Russia remained firm on Wednesday in its pledge to veto any U.N. Security Council resolution that could open the door for international military intervention in Syria.
Meanwhile, fighting raged anew in the troubled Middle East nation, with nearly 70 additional deaths reported by opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose bloody crackdown on street protests has led to calls from the Arab League and Western powers for him to step aside.
After a closed-door meeting, U.N. diplomats said progress had been made to overcome Russia's objections. "But there are a lot of difficult issues and we are not there yet," said British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, according to the Associated Press.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said, "I think we have a much better understanding of what we need to do to reach consensus."
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-violence-20120202,0,7233234.story
