Future of Assad in doubt as UN unanimously supports Syria peace process

The UN security council has unanimously agreed a resolution endorsing an international roadmap for a peace process in Syria, a rare show of unity among major powers on a conflict that has claimed more than 250,000 lives.
“This council is sending a clear message to all concerned that the time is now to stop the killing in Syria and lay the groundwork for a government that the long-suffering people of that battered land can support,” the US secretary of state, John Kerry, told the 15-nation council after the vote.
The resolution came after Russia and the US clinched a deal on a text. The two powers have had very different views on what should happen in Syria, where Islamic State militants control considerable territory.
Kerry made clear that there were still differences on the future of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Russia and Iran. Western governments want him to be ousted. The resolution does not touch on the question of Assad’s fate.
“We are under no illusions about the obstacles that exist,” added Kerry. “There obviously remain sharp differences within the international community, especially about the future of President Assad.”
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said of the resolution: “This is a clear response to attempts to impose a solution from the outside on Syrians on any issues, including those regarding its president.”
Protesters in front of UN headquarters.
A group of protesters, some holding Syrian revolutionary flags, gather in front of UN headquarters. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
The French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said talks between the Syrian government and opposition would only succeed if there were “guarantees on the departure” of Assad.
Fabius said: “How could this man unite a people that he has in part massacred? The idea that he could once again stand for elections is unacceptable to us.”
The text called for the UN to present the council with options for monitoring a ceasefire within one month of adoption of the resolution. It also backed a timeline previously agreed in Vienna for talks between the government on a unity government and opposition, and eventual elections.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/18/un-security-council-agree-resolution-on-syrian-peace-process