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UK, US and France call for 'strong' UN resolution on Syria | UK, US and France call for 'strong' UN resolution on Syria |
(35 minutes later) | |
France, Britain and the US have agreed to seek a "strong and robust" UN resolution that sets precise and binding deadlines on the removal of Syria's chemical weapons, the office of the French president, François Hollande, said, emerging from talks with John Kerry and William Hague in Paris. | |
The statement followed talks on Monday involving Hollande and the foreign ministers of the three countries in the French capital, two days after Russia and the US hammered out a deal on chemical weapons that could avert American military action over Syria. | |
"The idea is to stick to a firm line," said an official at Hollande's office after the talks with Kerry, Hague and their French counterpart, Laurent Fabius. | |
"They've agreed to seek a strong and robust resolution that sets precise and binding deadlines with a calendar," said the official, who declined to be named. | "They've agreed to seek a strong and robust resolution that sets precise and binding deadlines with a calendar," said the official, who declined to be named. |
Overcoming bitter differences, Kerry and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, struck a deal in Geneva on Saturday on removing President Bashar al-Assad's chemical arsenal. | |
After months in which Moscow and Washington failed to agree a line on Syria, Kerry and Lavrov demanded that Assad account for his secret stockpile within a week and let international inspectors eliminate all the weapons by the middle of next year. | After months in which Moscow and Washington failed to agree a line on Syria, Kerry and Lavrov demanded that Assad account for his secret stockpile within a week and let international inspectors eliminate all the weapons by the middle of next year. |
Under the terms of the US-Russian agreement, the UN security council – on which Russia has a veto – will oversee the process. | |
The agreement states that a security council resolution should allow for regular assessments of Syria's behaviour and "in the event of non-compliance … the UN security council should impose measures under chapter 7 of the UN charter". | |
Chapter 7 can include force but can be limited to other kinds of sanction. When Kerry said the council "must" impose measures under chapter 7, Lavrov interrupted to point out that the agreed text says only it "should" impose penalties. | |
The French official said the goal was to get quick agreement on a resolution at UN headquarters. | The French official said the goal was to get quick agreement on a resolution at UN headquarters. |
"We must make progress in New York," said the official, adding that the hope was to come up with something that could be put to a vote before the end of this week. | "We must make progress in New York," said the official, adding that the hope was to come up with something that could be put to a vote before the end of this week. |
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