Britain to present UN resolution over Syria chemical attacks

Russia and China have previously vetoed resolutions critical of Syria and may block any text deemed to approve military action.

A statement from 10 Downing Street said Britain will seek a measure “authorising necessary measures to protect civilians” in Syria under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.

Military force is one of the options that can be authorised under that chapter.

Earlier,Cameron spoke to US President Barack Obama on

phone as the two countries considered military intervention in Syria.

Downing Street said Cameron heard the “latest on US

thinking” on the issue,ahead of a National Security Council

meeting and a House of Commons vote tomorrow.

Cameron has called the parliament back into an emergency

session tomorrow for a debate on Syria and a vote that is

expected to endorse possible military action.

“No decision has yet been taken. Any action we take or

others take would have to be legal,would have to be

proportionate,” Cameron said.

“It would have to be specifically to deter and degrade the

future use of chemical weapons,¿ he said in an interview

yesterday.

Cameron said the “question we need to ask is whether

acting or not acting will make the use of chemical weapons

more prevalent”.

The Syrian government has blamed opposition fighters for

an alleged chemical attack near Damascus on August 21,in

which hundreds of people were reportedly killed.

The phone call between Obama and Cameron was the second

since the alleged attack.

The UK government is expected to publish the House of

Commons motion for debate today,along with details of

intelligence linking the Syrian government to the attack.

The motion is expected to stress the need for “appropriate

measures” in response to the use of chemical weapons by any

country.