Diplomats try again for agreed UN resolution on Syria violence

The prospect of a new United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an end to violence in Syria emerged last night despite Prime Minister David Cameron admitting Russian support for the Assad regime remained strong.

Diplomats said a draft resolution would be discussed behind closed doors by the five permanent council members – the United States, UK, Russia, China and France – and Morocco, the Arab representative on the council.

Russia and China have previously vetoed two council resolutions saying they were unbalanced and only demanded that the government stop attacks, not the opposition.

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The new US draft calls for government attacks to stop first, followed by opposition fighters. It also condemns the continuing human rights violations by president Bashar Assad’s government.

The move came amid reports that China was expected to press Syria for a ceasefire even though Beijing remains firmly opposed to any foreign intervention.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was remaining firm and urged the West to press the Syrian opposition to stop fighting Assad’s regime.

Mr Cameron said there was “no sign” that Russia’s support for the Syrian regime is waning despite after discussing the crisis during a telephone call with newly-elected president Vladimir Putin.

“I did not sense any sign of a shift,” he said.

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Giving evidence to the Commons liaison committee, Mr Cameron also warned that those giving “succour” to Mr Assad were risking the chaos of a popular revolution.

“What is the best path to end the violence in Syria?” he said. “A transition at the top of that regime with Assad going.”

The prime minister added: “Having him stay is a cause of instability.”

Asked whether there was any prospect of Britain helping to arm the rebels, Mr Cameron said: “At this point I think the right approach is to bring together the international community, put diplomatic pressure on the regime, work with the opposition to make sure they’ve got a proper outward face, as it were, and then to work out what more we can do to help them pile the pressure on.

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“I think we are at that stage rather than going much further.”

The Prime Minister said he would not rule out the possibility of establishing a “pause” or “corridors” to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid but stressed that the international community would have to have the will to enforce them.

Meanwhile Mr Cameron warned Iran must make a “big change” in its strategic thinking, as leading international powers agreed to resume talks with the Tehran regime over its nuclear programme.

The Prime Minister said that while economic sanctions should be given more time to run, military action remained an option unless the Iranians gave up any ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon.

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“Nothing is off the table,” Mr Cameron told the Commons liaison committee.

“It is difficult to say that because no one wants to see conflict in any way. But I think it’s very important that world sends a message to Iran that a nuclear-armed future is not something that we want to see.

“If the sanctions don’t work there will come a moment of a very difficult decision.”

Mr Cameron said Iran’s decision to return to the negotiating table was evidence that the latest sanctions – including an European Union oil embargo – were having an effect.