Russia holds firm against use-of-force clause in UN Syria resolution

MOSCOW – Moscow is insisting that a new United Nations resolution on Syria not allow the use of force, but Russia's foreign minister appears to suggest the issue could be reconsidered if Syria violates an agreement on abandoning its chemical weapons.

Sergey Lavrov made the statement on Tuesday in a news conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius. France and the United States say that a military option remains on the table and is pushing for the U.N. resolution to reflect that.

Lavrov said that Russia "spoke clearly" about rejecting the use-of-force clause when the chemical weapons agreement was worked out in Geneva.

But if signs emerge that Syria is not fulfilling the agreement or there are reports of further chemical weapons us, "then the Security Council will examine the situation."