Russia and China veto UN resolution

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, left, speaks to the Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Li Baodong before a Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria (AP)

Published: 12:59am, 4th February 2012
Updated: 5:36pm, 4th February 2012

Russia and China have vetoed a Security Council resolution backing an Arab League peace plan that calls for Syrian president Bashar Assad to step down.

The other 13 council members, including the US, France and Britain, voted in favour of the resolution aimed at stopping the ongoing violence in Syria.

The vote took place as Syrian forces attacked the city of Homs with mortar and artillery fire that activists say killed more than 200 people in one of the bloodiest episodes of the uprising against Assad's regime.

The UN said more than 5,400 people have been killed over almost 11 months in a Syrian government crackdown on civilian protests.