US, France and Britain to increase pressure Assad to respect weapons deal

The United States, France and Britain agreed Sept.16 to step up pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to stick to the terms of a deal under which Syria is to give up its huge arsenal of chemical weapons and avoid U.S. military strikes.

The three Western permanent members on the United Nations Security Council agree to seek a strong resolution in that forum that sets binding deadlines for the removal of Syria’s chemical weapons, French President Francois Hollande’s office said.

The statement followed talks in Paris, two days after the United States reached a deal with Assad’s ally Russia on chemical weapons that could avert U.S. strikes on Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a news conference in Paris that the three powers agreed with Moscow that Assad must suffer consequences if he fails to comply with U.N. demands. The accord offered the Syrian leader “no lifeline” and he had “lost all legitimacy”, Kerry added.