Russia against new draft resolution on Syria

Russia is against a new draft resolution on Syria put forward by Britain, France, Germany and Portugal and backed by the United States, a diplomatic source told RIA Novosti. "Articles on sanctions included in the new draft cannot satisfy Russia," he said. The scaled-down UN draft resolution sent to UN Security Council members threatens the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with sanctions only if violence against protesters does not end. The 15-nation Security Council "expresses its determination, in the event that Syria has not complied with this resolution, to adopt targeted measures, including sanctions," the document reads. An earlier draft resolution called for sanctions against Assad, his family and his aides. The new draft resolution was put forward after Russia and China threatened to veto any sanctions against the Syrian authorities. Representatives of the UN Security Council member countries are expected to discuss the document later in the day, another source said. Last week, the European Union stiffened its sanctions against Syria to include a ban on investment in the country's oil industry as well as asset freezes and travel bans for a number of senior Syrian officials. Sanctions have also been imposed on a Syrian TV network and a telecom firm over their suspected links to the government. More than 2,700 people are estimated to have been killed across Syria since the uprising began in March.