McFaul: U.S. Likely To Meet Russia On New Syria Resolution

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama's top Russia adviser has said that diplomats from Washington and Moscow will likely meet in the coming weeks to work on a new UN Security Council draft resolution targeting the Syrian government over its bloody crackdown on antigovernment protesters.

Michael McFaul, a member of Obama's National Security Council and the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Russia, said Russia will likely not veto a new resolution on Syria.

McFaul made the comments during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on October 12.

On October 4, permanent UN Security Council members Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution condemning the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the crackdown, which has killed nearly 3,000 people.

Moscow, which has enjoyed friendly relations with the Assad government, said the resolution could serve as a pretext for military intervention in Syria -- a claim that the United States and its European allies reject.