Wed Aug 28, 2013 18:52:41
A senior Russian diplomat has called on the UN Security Council to wait for inspectors to present their report on an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria before considering a harsh response.
"It would be premature, at the least, to discuss any Security Council reaction until the UN inspectors working in Syria present their report," Interfax quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov as saying on Wednesday.
The remarks by Titov signaled Russian opposition to a plan by Britain to put a draft resolution to the Council on Wednesday authorizing "necessary measures" to protect Syrian civilians.
Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Russia has used its veto power in the UN Security Council three times to block Western-backed resolutions against Syria.
The United States and its allies are gearing up for a probable military strike to punish the Syrian government, which they blame for the alleged chemical attack last week which activists claim it killed hundreds of people as they slept.
Russia says it suspects rebels may have carried out the gas attack to provoke outside military intervention, and has warned that any use of force without UN approval would violate international law.
The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.
More than 100,000 people have died in the foreign-hatched civil war and millions have been displaced.
NTJ/HH
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