Annan's plan should be judged by UN

MOSCOW: Peace envoy Kofi Annan's plan for ending the bloodshed in Syria should be judged by the United Nations Security Council and not by the "Friends of Syria", Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Monday.

"Kofi Annan has a mandate from the (UN) Secretary General and the Security Council. The Security Council will judge who should implement his (Annan's) proposals, and how," Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as telling a news conference in Armenia's capital, Yerevan.

The Friends of Syria, a group of Western and Arab nations, said after talks in Istanbul on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not have an open-ended opportunity to meet his commitments to Annan, who is seeking a ceasefire.