Russia asked the UN Security Council on Thursday to agree on a limited extension of the mandate of the unarmed military observers in Syria - after it vetoed a Western-backed resolution, dpa reported.
Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin did not specify the length of the extension. The three-month mandate for the observers expires on Friday.
Churkin denounced the Western members in the council for trying to "fan the flame of extremism" and trigger a foreign military intervention in Syria.