"We will move fast to press for a resolution," a U.N. diplomat told AFP.
"There will be action in the coming days to get a vote on a resolution which includes measures under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter -- which would mean sanctions," the diplomat added in comments confirmed by other Security Council envoys.
The three Western permanent members of the Council want a new campaign for sanctions after U.N.-Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
envoy Kofi Annan
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...said Thursday that the international community must warn Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir
Pencilneckal-Assad
Trampler of Homs...
of "clear consequences" if he does not carry out an international peace plan.
Russia, Syria's main international ally, and China have twice used their veto powers as permanent members to block resolutions which had just hinted at sanctions against Assad.
But Annan's call for substantial new pressure on Assad and two recent massacres in Syria have heightened international demands for the Security Council to act against the Syrian leader.
The resolution will be drawn up alongside international lobbying for action at the Group of 20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico on June 18-19 and other key meetings.
Britannia and Germany, a temporary member of the council, made clear calls for sanctions at Thursday's briefings on Syria by Annan and U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...