On Friday, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to keep its observer mission in Syria for a "final" 30 days.
The move keeps alive – if only just – a key part of international envoy Kofi Annan's faltering plan to end the 16-month conflict that has killed thousands of people.
But as US ambassador Susan Rice pointed out yesterday, it is unlikely the violence in Syria will ease enough to allow a continued UN presence.
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