Cameron: World 'should not stand by' on Syria

Britain's National Security Council has agreed unanimously that the world “should not stand by” after the “unacceptable” use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said.

Mister Cameron gathered the UK’s armed forces and security chiefs with key cabinet ministers in Downing Street for emergency talks over possible military action.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Houghton and MI6 chief Sir John Sawers, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and Attorney General Dominic Grieve were among those around the Cabinet table at 10 Downing Street to discuss the options.

“The NSC agreed unanimously that the use of chemical weapons by Assad was unacceptable – and the world should not stand by,” the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.

The NSC agreed unanimously that the use of chemical weapons by Assad was unacceptable - and the world should not stand by.

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) August 28, 2013

The meeting was expected to help shape the wording of a motion to be voted on tomorrow by MPs, who have been recalled from their summer break to debate the Syria crisis.

There is widespread scepticism among MPs of all parties about the wisdom of a Western military intervention in the brutal civil war.

Mr Cameron insists any use of force would only be a response to the use of banned chemical weapons and would be legal and proportionate.

Britain has tabled a draft resolution to be debated by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council later in an effort to show willing to secure international support.

Labour has made a fresh effort to make UN backing for a military intervention one criterion for voting with the Government in tomorrow’s vote.

The resolution would authorise “all necessary measures to protect civilians” and condemns “the chemical weapons attack by (Bashar) Assad”.

Russia, which wields a veto, disputes claims that there is “no doubt” the regime was behind the attack on the outskirts of the capital Damascus and is firmly opposed to military action.

The Prime Minister said: “We’ve always said we want the UN Security Council to live up to its responsibilities on Syria. Today they have an opportunity to do that.”

But a senior Liberal Democrat source conceded that the Government was not optimistic of securing Russian and Chinese support.

“We are not expecting a massive change of heart... but it is important to try,” they said.

Russia foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said military action “will lead to the long-term destabilisation of the situation in the country and the region”.

China, which also has a permanent seat along with the US, Russia, UK and France, has also been consistent in blocking previous anti-Assad resolutions.

A team of UN weapons inspectors was back at the site of the attack on the outskirts of the capital Damascus today but they are able to look only at whether chemical weapons were used, not at who deployed them, and action could be taken before they have concluded their work.

Washington has said it will release further evidence of the regime’s culpability – expected to involve intercepted signals intelligence.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon urged the members of the Security Council to act.

“The body entrusted with international peace and security cannot be missing in action,” Mr Ban said.

“The Council must find the unity to act. It must use its authority for peace. The Syrian people deserve solutions, not silence.”

Mr Cameron has warned that the world cannot stand idly by and must take firm action to show that the use of chemical weapons – in Syria or anywhere else - cannot be tolerated.

But he faces opposition to intervention from a number of his own backbenchers and polling shows the public is deeply reluctant for the UK to become embroiled in military action.

Former military chiefs have also issued stark warnings about the direction Mr Cameron is taking, warning that even a “surgical” missile strike could end up dragging the UK into deeper action.

And the Archbishop of Canterbury has urged MPs not to rush their decision, warning of the “unforeseeable ramifications”.

Mr Cameron has insisted that any intervention in Syria would not be about the conflict itself, but preventing the use of chemical weapons by any regime and would be “proportionate, have to be legal, would have to specifically be about deterring the use of chemical weapons”.

He held fresh talks with US president Barack Obama last night, after which No 10 said they were in no doubt that Assad’s regime was responsible for the toxic assault.

“Both leaders agreed that all the information available confirmed a chemical weapons attack had taken place, noting that even the Iranian president and Syrian regime had conceded this,” a spokeswoman said.

“They both agreed they were in no doubt that the Assad regime was responsible,” a spokesman said.

“Regime forces were carrying out a military operation to regain that area from the opposition at the time, and there is no evidence that the opposition has the capability to deliver such a chemical weapons attack.”