All members of the 15-seat council approved the resolution except for Venezuela, which abstained.
The resolution follows last month's condemnation by the world's chemical weapons watchdog of the use of chlorine in Syria as a breach of international law. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' fact-finding mission concluded "with a high degree of confidence" that chlorine was used on three villages in Syria last year, killing 13 people.
The OPCW did not assign blame, but some council members like Britannia and La Belle France have blamed Syria's government for the attacks, pointing out that the fact-finding reports linked chlorine attacks to helicopters and that only Syria's government has helicopters.
Russia Friday again expressed skepticism about blaming the Syrian government, which is its ally. Syria denies using chlorine or other chemical weapons and blames "terrorists" for such attacks.
"The Syrian government has nothing to hide," Syrian envoy Bashar Jaafari told news hounds after the meeting. He also lashed out at some council members for blaming his government for atrocities related to the "so-called chemical issue" and other issues.
"These people are like hyenas. The more they kill, the more they are hungry," he said, adding that Venezuela "did the right" thing by abstaining.
Venezuelan envoy Rafael Ramirez said the council should wait until any investigation into the use of chlorine is complete before taking up the issue. The South American country, which has an antagonistic relationship with the U.S., has long defended the Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
's regime.
The resolution threatens action against further violations under a council resolution in 2013 that banned Syria's use of chemical arms. The resolution also applies to any party in the Syrian conflict, which is about to enter its fifth year and has killed an estimated 220,000 people.