Impending conflict: UK drafts UN proposal on Syrian crisis

Moscow terms the resolution premature till inspectors report on their findings.

LONDON:

The United Kingdom on Wednesday has put a suggested resolution to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council “authorising all necessary measures to protect civilians” in Syria.

Britain wants Russia and the other Security Council members to adopt a resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar al Assad for the attack that Western states blame on his government, and authorising measures to protect civilians.

However, in his response the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Britain that the UN Security Council should not consider a draft resolution in response to an alleged chemical arms attack in Syria before UN inspectors report on their findings there.

During a phone call initiated by British Foreign Secretary William Hague, Lavrov told Hague it is necessary “to wait for the results of the work of the mission of UN inspectors who are currently in Syria”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Russia says it suspects rebels may have carried out a deadly gas attack last week to provoke outside armed intervention, and Lavrov has warned the West that any use of force without UN approval would violate international law.



Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Russia, along with China, has used its veto power in the Security Council three times to block Western-backed resolutions condemning Assad and intended to press him to end the violence.

Russia has also said it will not allow a repeat in Syria of what happened in 2011 in Libya, where Nato air strikes helped rebels topple Muammar Gaddafi after Moscow let a UN resolution authorising military intervention pass by abstaining.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2013.