UN talks on Syria end without agreement

Negotiations over a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning the government crackdown in Syria stalled again Thursday, diplomats said, despite attempts to satisfy Russian concerns.The meeting was not so good, Indias UN ambassador, Hardeep Singh Puri, said after a day of talks ended without agreement on how to respond to bloodshed in Syria that has left more than 5,400 people dead.Li Baodong, the UN ambassador from China, which along with Russia is skeptical about the need for a tough UN resolution, said, We are close, but not there yet.More consultations (are) needed, Li said.The UN body has been divided for days over a draft resolution put together by the Arab League and the main Western powers calling for an end to the crackdown and the start of political change in the country.Earlier Thursday, diplomats said they had made a major concession to Russia by revising the draft to remove an explicit call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assads departure.