Russia and China on Thursday vetoed a demand by the United States, France, Britain, Germany and Portugal to extend the mandate of unarmed military observers in Syria for another 45 days, dpa reported.
The double vetoes killed the Western resolution in a vote held by 15-nation UN Security Council. The resolution received 11 votes. There were two abstentions.
The draft under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which called for punitive measures and the use of force, had threatened sanctions against Syria if that country would fail to end the violence within 10 days. Russia and China opposed those measures.
The mandate for the 300 military observers expires on Friday.