France Expects UN Security Council To Agree on Syria Chemical Weapons Resolution

Western countries are dropping calls for force to be used if Syria does not comply with conditions

(Reuters)—France's foreign minister said on Monday he expects the U.N. Security Council to agree on a resolution to enforce the chemical weapons deal withSyria and appeared to back off French calls for the measure to threaten force against President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's civil war is a top agenda item as world leaders gather this week for the annual U.N. General Assembly. Envoys from the five big U.N. powers—the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – have been meeting to negotiate a resolution to back the U.S.-Russian deal reached in Geneva this month to remove Syria's chemical weapons by June 2014.