The UK has presented a draft UN resolution condemning Syria's suppression of protests The UN Security Council must proceed with a resolution condemning violence by Syrian troops against its own people, the foreign secretary has said. William Hague said the prospects of securing one were "on a knife-edge" amid opposition from its ally Lebanon.
He told Sky News connections between the two countries made it "impossible" for Lebanon to take a clear position.
Mr Hague also ruled out military action, saying there was "no prospect" of the UN authorising air raids.
Protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in February and have spread across the country, with thousands of Syrians fleeing into Turkey.
Arab LeagueThe European Union and the US have warned Syria that government sanctioned violence was creating a humanitarian crisis.
But Mr Hague told the Murnaghan on Sky News programme: "There is no prospect of getting through the UN a resolution such as the UN resolution 1973 on Libya.
"In the case of Libya there was a clear call from the Arab League for action, and that was a transformative intervention by the Arab League, there is no such call in the case of Syria."And indeed Lebanon is the Arab country that is represented on the UN Security Council at the moment, and the interconnections between the Lebanese government and the Syrian government have made it impossible for Lebanon to take a clear position on this, on the UN Security Council."
Mr Hague said Russia and China, who fear it could be the first step towards military intervention, had also strongly opposed the resolution.
The UK and France last week presented a draft UN resolution condemning Syria's suppression of protests.
Backed by Germany and Portugal, it condemns the systematic violation of human rights in Syria and demands an immediate end to violence, and access for humanitarian workers.
Mr Hague told Sky News the regime's behaviour was "unacceptable" and there were several reports of torture and human rights abuses.
'Enormous exodus'He said: "I do believe it is time for the security council to make a clear statement of the kind that we're advocating."
He said it should call on the Syrian government to respond to "legitimate grievances, to release prisoners of conscience, to open up access to the internet and to cooperate with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights".
Meanwhile, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show his department had been in touch with the International Red Cross about the humanitarian situation on the Turkish-Syrian border.
"Britain will give strong humanitarian support in terms of shelter and medicines and food, not least from our stores not too far away in Dubai.
"But the key thing is to stop the repression which is causing very large numbers of people to cross the border. If it continues, there could be an enormous exodus from Syria so we call on the Syrian government to stop this.
"Of course at the United Nations, Britain and others are seeking to get a resolution to put further pressure on the Syrian regime," he said.
But he said the case of intervention was "totally different" from that of Libya because the Arab world was not united in its condemnation of the country's regime.
Syrian government forces have continued to advance north as part of a widespread government crackdown, state media reports.
Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed since protests began in February against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
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