The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a Russia-European resolution that authorizes an initial deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers to Syria for three months to help bolster a fragile week-old ceasefire. The deployment depends on an assessment about compliance with a six-point peace deal mediated by envoy Kofi Annan. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said the United States would not support renewal of the mandate after three months if the Syrian government did not abide by the peace deal.

Susan Rice: “If there is not a sustained cessation of violence, full freedom of movement for U.N. personnel and rapid, meaningful progress on other aspects, all other aspects, of the six-point plan, then we must all conclude that this mission has run its course. We will not wait 90 days to pursue measures against the Syrian government if it continues to violate its commitments or obstruct the monitors’ work.”

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin welcomed the resolution and said the apparent pessimism of the United States was “unhelpful.”

Vitaly Churkin: “We know, we are not naive, that still there are powerful forces who are not only questioning the strategy, but who actually would like to see the strategy fail, because they, as we heard today in the big room, they already have other plans which they entertain with regard to the situation in Syria. All this is unhelpful.”