Kerry Urges UN to Pass Resolution on Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US Secretary of State John Kerry called on the UN Security Council to move swiftly to approve a US-Russia deal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.
Speaking on Thursday, Kerry also said there is no time to argue with those who remain unconvinced that the Syrian regime carried out a chemical attack last month that killed hundreds, AP reported.
Kerry didn't mention Russian President Vladimir Putin, but his remarks were a clear attempt to rebut Putin's statement that Russia has strong grounds to believe that Syrian rebels — not President Bashar Assad's government — were responsible for the Aug. 21 attack.
Speaking at a conference, Putin said, "We have every reason to believe that it was a provocation, a sly and ingenious one."
He said those who perpetrated the attack relied on "primitive" technology, using old Soviet-made ammunition no longer in the Syrian army's inventory.
While a recent report by UN inspectors did not ascribe blame, the US, Britain, France and others believe that the report's findings offer conclusive evidence that the attack was conducted by the Syrian military.
Assad, in an interview this week with Fox News Channel, denied that his government was responsible for the attack.
The US wants a new Security Council resolution now under discussion to make the US-Russia agreement reached last week in Geneva legally binding in a way that is verifiable and enforceable.
Russia, which already has rejected three resolutions on Syria, would be expected to veto a UN move toward military action, and US officials have said they do not contemplate seeking such an authorization.
