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Conflict in Syria

Western states prepare draft Security Council resolution on Syria

At 17:00 Moscow time Wednesday, the UN Security Council will gather for an open meeting to discuss the events in Idlib

© EPA/JUSTIN LANE

UNITED NATIONS, April 5. /TASS/. The United States, the United Kingdom and France have distributed among UN Security Council members a draft resolution on the chemical weapons incident in Syria’s Idlib Governorate, the US mission to the UN said.

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Syrian aviation airstrike in Idlib targeted chemical arms lab — Russian Defense Ministry

"This evening a joint P3 (US, UK, France) resolution on the reported use of chemical weapons in the Khan Shaykhun area in the Syrian Arab Republic on April 4th has been distributed to Security Council members," the mission said.

The document has been put under silence until 09:00 a.m. local time (16:00 Moscow time). During this period, the delegations can express their objections to the text of the resolution.

At 17:00 Moscow time, the UN Security Council will gather for an open meeting to discuss the events in Idlib.

Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that an airstrike by either Syrian or Russian air forces in the Idlib province left 58 people dead, including 11 children. The agency said that the strike was probably carried out by Syria’s government troops, who used an unknown "toxic gas."

Russian and Syrian military rejected the accusations. The Russian Defense Ministry later said that the Syrian air force conducted an airstrike on Tuesday afternoon that targeted a militant-held arms depot and a chemical weapons lab on the outskirts of Khan Shaykhun.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan