UN Security Council Struggles to Reach Syria Consensus

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council struggled to agree (Reuters) on a draft resolution that would endorse an international effort to end the five-year civil war in Syria. Western powers had hoped the council would approve the endorsement of a two-year road map (AP) for negotiations between Syria's government and opposition on a unity government expected to begin in January. The impasse comes ahead of a Friday meeting in New York where more than a dozen countries are expected to meet (NYT) to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict, as well as ways to counter the self-proclaimed Islamic State.