"A day of debate at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Syria has ended without agreement. The council was discussing whether to adopt an Arab League plan calling for an end to violence and for President Bashar al-Assad to stand down. Qatar's prime minister urged council members to take action against what he called Mr Assad's ""killing machine"". But China and
Russia said the plan amounts to regime change and remain opposed to the Arab League proposal. ""I don't think Russian policy is about asking people to step down,"" Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. ""Yes, we condemn strongly the use of force by government forces against civilians. But we condemn in the same strong way the activities of the armed extremist groups who attack government positions,"" Mr Lavrov added. ""China...resolutely opposes pushing for forced regime change in Syria, as it violates the United Nations Charter and the basic norms guiding the practice of international relations,"" Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Li Baodong said at the meeting, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported."
