(New York Times) Michael R. Gordon - Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that it was essential for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution next week to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal. Since the U.S. and Russia reached a framework agreement on Saturday to remove or destroy Syria's chemicals weapons, important differences have emerged that call into question whether the agreement will ever be carried out. The U.S. and France said the threat of force must be maintained to ensure that Assad follows through. But Russia has rejected the potential use of force. Sergei V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has continued to assert that there is no proof the Assad government carried out the chemical attack near Damascus on Aug. 21, suggesting this week that additional investigation was needed before the Council could take any firm action.
2013-09-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive