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Kerry: Syria deal must be in binding UN resolution

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on Capitol Hill in Washington, today to testify before the House Armed Services Committee, a day after an unexpected Russian proposal for Syria to avert a U.S. military strike by relinquishing control of its chemical weapons.

WASHINGTON » Secretary of State John Kerry says a proposed Russian deal with Syria to give up its chemical weapons stockpiles must be enshrined in a binding U.N. Security Council resolution that sets consequences for Syrian non-compliance.

Kerry said today that Russian suggestions that the U.N. endorsement come in the form of a non-binding statement from the rotating president of the Security Council would be unacceptable to the Obama administration. Kerry said the U.S. has to have "a full resolution from the Security Council in order to have confidence that this has the force that it has to have." He added that the resolution must have "consequences if games are played and somebody tries to undermine this."

Kerry’s comments came during an online Google+ roundtable.

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