The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a 30-day extension of the monitoring mission in Syria, but it remains divided on how to resolve the increasingly bloody conflict.

The extension will allow the mission to shut down in an orderly fashion.

The 300 unarmed military observers were deployed as part of U.N. envoy Kofi Annan's plan to end the 16-month conflict that has killed thousands. But the force has been viewed as largely ineffective.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said the decision to extend the mission will allow the troops to withdraw safely.

She said the U.S. would prefer to see stronger sanctions imposed on Syria, but Russia on Friday again threatened to veto such a resolution.

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SUSAN RICE SOUND BITES: “The decision we took was to extend the UNSMIS's mission for a final period of 30 days to allow it to withdraw safely and orderly — in an orderly fashion. and we hope very much that the withdrawal will be conducted with the principal priority placed on the security of U.N. personnel.”

“Today's vote to extend UNSMIS for a final period was not the resolution that the United States had hoped to adopt in the first instance. Our strong preference was to adopt the resolution that was regrettably vetoed yesterday in order to give the men and women of UNSMIS a final last, best opportunity to succeed in the performance of their mission.”