KERRY INFORMS UPCOMING UNSC ON SYRIA

       New York, , 18 Dul Qai’dah 1434/24 September 2013 (MINA) – The US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday met with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu who is in New York for the UN meetings.

       Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu talked about Syrian civil war, the latest developments in the Middle East and the transformation after the Arab Spring in the region, Anadolu agency reported monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

       According to diplomatic sources, the meeting was the continuation of a meeting Davutoglu attended with the US, UK, and French foreign ministers in Paris to discuss Syria as the “P3 and 1 meeting”.

       The ministers also discussed about how to implement a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution to destroy the stockpile of Syrian chemical weapons.

        Kerry informed Davutoglu about all items that the upcoming resolution of UN Security Council would cover.

        Davutoglu will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif later on Monday. 

       Yesterday (23/9),  Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met Syrian opposition delegation  in New York on Saturday, stated that Syrian people sooner or later would win their struggle for a life with dignity.

       Syrian delegation thanked Turkey for its sound stance and support for Syrian people from the very beginning. The delegation also conveyed their activities in order to inform US government and congress about the situation in Syria.

      A delegation from the Syrian opposition National Coalition has arrived in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, the grouping said on Sunday. Delegates include the Coalition’s president Ahmad Jarba, as well as prominent members Michel Kilo and Burhan Ghalioun.

      A spokeswoman for the Coalition declined to give details of the schedule for the trip, which lasts until 1 October, but said it would include meetings with international representatives. The trip comes after the United States and Russia hammered out a deal under which Syria will turn over its chemical weapons for destruction.

      On Saturday, Damascus handed over the remaining details of its chemical arsenal to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is overseeing the deal. The agreement warded off planned US military action against Damascus in response to an 21 August chemical weapons attack that reportedly killed hundreds of people. But the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are still haggling over the wording of a resolution that would enshrine the deal.

        Britain, France and the United States want a tough resolution that would allow for sanctions or the use of force if Syria fails to implement the deal. But Russia, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime, opposes any mention of the use of force.

        Much of the international community has blamed the Syrian regime for the August attack, an accusation it denies. On the other hand, the Syrian and Russian governments have said there is evidence that the rebels were behind the attack, which UN chemical weapons inspectors said involved the use of the deadly poison sarin.(T/P04/P03)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)