UN Security Council to vote on Syria ceasefire resolution Saturday at noon

The UN Security Council will vote on the Syria ceasefire resolution on Saturday at noon, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the United Nations Mansour Ayyad Otaibi told reporters.

“We are working to have a consensus, draft resolution, and hopefully the council will be united, all of them, all fifteen will vote in favor of this draft resolution,” Otaibi said on Friday.

The ambassador said the vote will take place “tomorrow at noon,” adding that the Security Council is very close to reaching an agreement.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern over the proposed UN Security Council resolution on Syria, saying that it may aim to accuse Damascus of everything. The minister also expressed suspicions that western countries want to shift focus away from the necessity of starting the Geneva talks to launching plan “B”.

The humanitarian situation in the suburb of Eastern Ghouta, east of the Syrian capital, has drastically deteriorated since February 18, when Syrian government forces launched an operation codenamed “Damascus Steel,” in a bid to clear the region of Islamist units such as Jaysh al-Islam, but also Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front), Ahrar al-Sham and Failaq al-Rahman. Russia has called on the illegal armed groups to cease resistance and surrender, the militants, however, ignored those appeals.

Eastern Ghouta is one of four Syrian de-escalation zones created during the Astana Syrian reconciliation talks. Russia, Iran and Turkey are serving as guarantors of the de-escalation agreements.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia was working within the UN Security Council to prepare a resolution on humanitarian issues in the suburb.

US Department of States said that Damascus airforces allegedly conducted airstrikes in Eastern Ghouta, killing civilians and urged Russia to stop supporting Syrian President. Moscow responded by pointing out that it was not clear, what the accusations were based on and no specific data was provided.