Berlin urges Moscow to sign anti-Syria resolution

Berlin urges Moscow to sign anti-Syria resolution
Wed Aug 28, 2013 17:21:44

Germany has urged other states, especially Russia, to support a British draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning an alleged chemical attack by Syria and authorizing 'necessary measures'.

"We welcome the British initiative to get the UN Security Council to again consider the use of chemical weapons in Syria. We urge all members of the Security Council, in particular Russia, to seize this opportunity and contribute to a common stance by the global community against the use of chemical weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Syria," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Wednesday.

Britain plans to put a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning the alleged attacks by Syria and authorizing 'necessary measures' to protect civilians from chemical weapons, Prime Minister David Cameron said on his official Twitter feed.

"We've always said we want the UN Security Council to live up to its responsibilities on Syria. Today they have an opportunity to do that," Cameron added.

The resolution will be put to the Security Council in New York later on Wednesday, a spokesman for Cameron said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Syria has denied media reports about the use of chemical weapons by the army in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly unrest since March 2011.

The United Nations says more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million others displaced since the outbreak of the violence.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

NTJ/HH

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