Britain says UN discussion on Syria could take days

LONDON — The world will still have a responsibility to stop the bloodshed in Syria even if there is no agreement at the UN over Britain’s proposal for a UN Security Council resolution to condemn the Syrian government, Britain’s foreign secretary said Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said UN discussions over the Syrian crisis will continue “over the coming days.”

The Syrian ambassador to the UN lashed out at the world body after the meeting, calling on investigators to probe what it said were three cases of Syrian soldiers coming under chemical attack.

Bashar Jaafari also blamed  Israel for “motivating” the US to carry out expected strikes against Syria, saying the turmoil in the region only benefits Israel, which seeks to divert attention from the Palestinian question.

Britain said it would seek UN Security Council backing Wednesday for a measure condemning Syria for an alleged chemical attack against its civilians and authorizing “appropriate measures” in response. The resolution could be used to authorize military force against Syria.

Hague admitted, however, that permanent Security Council members Russia and China are unlikely to back Britain’s resolution. Israel’s Channel 2 reported that envoys from both states walked out of the preliminary security council meeting in protest.

“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,” he said.

After Prime Minister David Cameron held a meeting Wednesday on Syria, he said the military and security chiefs at Britain’s National Security Council “unanimously” backed his call for action. The council includes Cabinet ministers, defense chiefs and heads of intelligence agencies.

Cameron’s office said the group agreed that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime was responsible for the lethal chemical attack last week outside Damascus, which Doctors Without Borders says killed 355 people.

The council also backs the government’s plan for the UN Security Council resolution to condemn Syria and open the door for a possible military attack designed to prevent future chemical attacks.

Speaking at a press conference following a UN Security Council meeting on the Syrian issue, Jaafari said his country was in a “state of war,”preparing for “the worst case scenario,” and that Syria had the right to defend itself against any “military aggression.”

The Syrian ambassador blamed the rebels for the use of chemical weapons, saying that terrorist groups — like Jabhat al-Nusra — obtained the weapons “from outside forces,” like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, and used them inside Syria.

He further called on the UN to allow inspectors to investigate three new sites in Syria where he claims chemical weapons were used against Syrian soldiers.