Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the US against any military intervention in Syria, after US President Barack Obama warned the Syrian regime on the use of chemical weapons.
Speaking after a meeting in Moscow with China's top diplomat, State Councillor Dai Bingguo and representatives from the Syrian government, Lavrov said there was a need to
"strictly adhere to the norms of international law and the principles contained in the UN Charter, and not to allow their violation… I think this is the only correct path in today's conditions".
Lavrov went on to state that only the UN Security Council can sanction the use of force, and warned against “democracy by bombs”.
Meanwhile, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil dismissed Mr Obama's statements as "propagandistic threats" and blamed external interference for "hindering efforts for Syrians themselves to resolve this problem".
See President Obama's statement on Syria's chemical weapons below. Comments on Syria at 18:30.
The UN has said that at least 18,000 people have been killed by the violence in the country, since the conflict began last year.
Also see our earlier post: Obama warns Assad on chemical weapon use (20 Aug 2012)
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