U.N DRAFT RESOLUTION CALLS FOR REMOVAL SYRIA’S CHEM WEAPONS PROGRAM

        New York, 8 Dhul Qo’dah 1434/14 September 2013 (MINA) –  France submitted on Friday a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council for the deployment of inspectors in Syria to “oversee the dismantlement and destruction of all elements” of the country’s chemical weapons program.

       The French draft resolution, obtained by Al Arabiya, demands the Syrian government to provide unfettered access to its chemical weapons sites and allow international inspectors to make surprise visits to locations of their choice.

        This, according to the document, is to ensure that there is no more production, use or transfer of chemical weapons.

        The draft resolution also calls for deploying a U.N. mission in Syria to investigate the use of chemical weapons and refer the perpetrators to the International Criminal Court.

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        The draft resolution states that if Syria does not comply with the measures it will be subject to further measures under Chapter VII of the Security Council, which authorizes the use of military force.

        A senior U.S. official had said that the resolution would not include the potential use of military force due to Russian opposition, according to Al Arabiya report quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

         The officials, who briefed a group of reporters on condition of anonymity, said the United States would instead insist that the resolution include a range of consequences should Syria refuse to give up chemical weapons in a verifiable way, according to Reuters.

         Those consequences could include sanctions, one official said.

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          Independently of the United Nations, U.S. President Barack Obama has threatened the use of force in response to an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria that U.S. officials say killed around 1,400 people. Officials said he still retains that option.

Use of military force unlikely?

          Meanwhile, US officials indicated that the UN Security Council resolution on Syria’s chemical weapons was unlikely to include any provisions threatening possible use of military force, according to Russia Today (RT) report.

         The United States would instead insist that the resolution include a range of consequences, such as stricter sanctions, the officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

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         However, US officials have not backed down from pushing a non-military sanctions provision under Chapter VII. 

        Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter allows the UN Security Council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression” and to take both military and non-military action to “restore international peace and security.” 

        Russia and China holding veto power in the Security Council have already used it three times to block Western resolutions with potential backdoors for direct military intervention in the Syrian conflict.

        Meanwhile, during the second day of talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the parties have agreed the only solution to the ongoing Syrian crisis lies within the framework of the “Geneva-2” peace talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin also recently said the proposal could only succeed if the US and its allies calls off military strikes.

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         The meeting between Russian and US teams is reaching its “pivotal point” and will continue on Saturday, RIA Novosti cited a source in the Russian delegation as saying. (T/P04/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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