UN Security Council has decided to postpone its vote on a draft resolution concerning Syria to Thursday morning, Colombian permanent representative to the UN Nestor Osorio said on Wednesday, whose country holds rotating presidency of the Council for July.

After private consultations among members of the Council, "It has been decided that the meeting concerning the adoption of UNSMIS, the UN Syrian Supervision Mission, will be postponed until tomorrow morning," Osorio told reporters after the conclusion of consultation.

Chinese diplomats confirmed with Xinhua that the meeting was planned to be held at 10:00 am (GMT 14:00) Thursday morning.

Earlier Wednesday morning, UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan asked the Security Council to delay its vote with a hope to bridge the gap existing in the divided 15-member Council.

"We are still working in trying to put together approaches of different members," Osorio said. "As far as the dialogue continues, it is a chance to get to some agreement."

The west-proposed draft resolution, whose sponsors include France, Germany, Portugal, Britain and the United States, grants extension of UNSMIS for a period of 45 days, and threatens non- military sanctions by quoting Chapter VII of the UN Charter if the Syrian government fails to pull out troops and heavy weapons from populated areas, while Russia, in its own version of draft presented to the Council, asks for extending the mandate of UNSMIS for another three months, reducing the number of military observers and asking the operation to take on a more political mission.

Russia is opposed to any threat of sanctions against Syria.

There were negotiations around Russian draft among deputy permanent representatives as well as talks concerning the west- proposed draft, and the negotiations will continue Wednesday afternoon, according to Osorio.

The UN Security Council is due to decide the future of the UNSMIS by July 20 when its initial 90-day mandate expires. The Council approved in April 300 unarmed military observers to monitor a cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties and to monitor and support the full implementation of Kofi Annan's six-point plan to end the conflict in Syria. However, the mission has suspended most of its activities owing to an intensification of armed violence across the country.

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