Envoys from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States held talks Wednesday on a British drafted UN Security Council resolution that could allow military action in Syria. The meeting ended without any sign that the 15-nation Security Council could vote any time soon on a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Ambassadors from Russia and China, who fiercely oppose any military strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, left the closed-door negotiations after about 75 minutes. The US, British and French envoys carried on their talks but left the UN Security Council chamber without making any comment. The three countries are said to be considering a military strike over the chemical weapons use. "Britain presented a text and the Russians repeated the arguments already made by their foreign minister," said one diplomat. "The Russians and Chinese said they would refer the text to their governments. The talks are not over but there is no new meeting planned yet," the diplomat added. All five countries are permanent members of the council who can veto any resolution. Britain, France and the United States say Assad's forces carried out an attack with a poison gas in the Damascus suburbs on August 21 said to have left hundreds dead. The Syrian government, backed by Russia, has blamed opposition rebels. The British government wants a resolution that would allow "all necessary measures to protect civilians" -- UN code for military action. But Russia and China have already vetoed three Security Council resolutions since the start of the Syria conflict in March 2011 that sought to increase pressure on Assad without imposing sanctions. Moscow has condemned attempts to pass a resolution now while UN inspectors are still in Syria investigating the chemical weapons allegations. Diplomats say divisions are so bitter that Russia and China are unlikely to back any resolution on Syria. Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said in London that UN talks on the Syrian crisis would continue "over the coming days", but insisted the international community still had a duty to act even if agreement could not be reached in New York. "It is time the United Nations Security Council shoulders its responsibility on Syria which for the last two and a half years it has failed to do," said Hague. Russia fiercely opposes giving UN backing to what it considers western moves to oust Assad. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the heightened tensions are undermining any remaining hope of a negotiated end to the Syrian war, which the UN says has left more than 100,000 dead. Source : Ahram
