UN to Vote Saturday on Observers for Syria The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Saturday on a resolution authorizing the deployment of the first wave of U.N. military observers to monitor a cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition fighters which appears to be largely holding. The cease-fire, which formally took effect Thursday, is at the center of international envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan to end more than a year of bloodshed that has killed over 9,000 people, according to the United Nations, and to launch inclusive Syrian-led talks on the country's political future. Security Council members met behind closed doors for several hours Friday to discuss rival drafts by the U.S. and its European allies and by Russia, Syria's most important council ally. Both called for the deployment of an advance team of up to 30 unarmed military observers to initiate contacts with both sides and begin to report on implementation of "a full cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties." U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, the current council president, announced that the council will vote at 11 a.m. EDT (1600 GMT) Saturday. Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told a news conference in Geneva that an advance team of "around 10 or 12" observers, that could quickly be increased to 30, is "standing by to board planes and to get themselves on the ground as soon as possible" once the Security Council approves their deployment. Troops already in the region from Asian, African and South American countries acceptable to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime could be used for the mission, Fawzi said. Additional Security Council approval will be required to increase the deployment to 250 observers, the ceiling Annan is seeking, he said. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had been unhappy with the initial Western-backed draft resolution, which included numerous demands on the Syrian government, including allowing the observers unimpeded freedom of movement and the right to interview any Syrian in private. Those were dropped in the Russian version along with the Western call for condemnation of "the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities." The Russians also watered down the West's "demand" that the Syrian government visibly demonstrate that it is fully implementing Annan's plan, changing it to a weaker "call." I'm not completely satisfied with the outcome of the discussion. But again, let's see what comes out as a result," Churkin told reporters late Friday. We want it to be a vote which will keep the Security Council united, which is crucial. Annan, the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy, asked the 15-nation Security Council to approve sending a U.N. observer mission as soon as possible. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon cautioned Friday against overly high expectations, given the small size of the initial team and the fact that it would not be able to be everywhere, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters Friday that before any observers can be deployed, there would have to be a technical agreement on how the U.N. force will operate, Annan would have to make an independent report on the situation in Syria, and the Syrian government would have to approve the whole package.