West seeks global backing for strike on Syria
But US and allies are on a collision course with China and Russia over action after gas attack
The US and its allies are looking beyond the divided UN Security Council to legitimise military action against Syria, trying to build a cohesive rationale for a strike and win broad international backing.
The council was set for a showdown over Syria yesterday after Britain sought authorisation for Western military action that Russia called premature.
With UN chemical weapons inspectors heading for the second time to the Damascus site of an apparent gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pleaded for them to be given time to complete their mission.
But the United States and European and Middle East allies have already pinned the blame on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Even if Russia blocks UN approval, US-led air or missile strikes on Syria look all but certain.
That has set Western leaders on a collision course with Moscow, Assad's main arms supplier, as well as with China, which also has a veto in the Security Council and disapproves of what it sees as a push for Iraq-style "regime change" - despite US denials that President Barack Obama aims to overthrow Assad.