The unanimous passage of a resolution by the UN Security Council on Dec 18 supporting a peace process to end the civil war in Syria could facilitate talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces in early January possibly leading to a ceasefire.

The world has never reached such an agreement since the civil war broke out five years ago. Before Friday's meeting, the UN Security Council remained divided on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The US-led West set the ousting of Assad as a prerequisite for any political resolution in Syria while Russia insisted Assad stay at the helm.

The latest resolution, despite carefully avoiding the most contentious issue, would not have been adopted if Washington and Moscow had not reached an understanding on Assad's future.