UpdateUnited Nations Security Council endorses Syria chemical weapons resolution without dissent
China welcomes passage of resolution on chemical weapons, which does not threaten use of force if President Assad fails to comply with it
The diplomatic drive to purge Syria of its chemical weapons accelerated as the full 15-member UN Security Council approved a breakthrough resolution to ensure Syrian compliance.
At the same time, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon announced long-sought peace talks are tentatively planned for November.
The Security Council resolution is a compromise measure finalised on Thursday night by the five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. It is aimed at coercing the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad to comply with a pledge to relinquish its chemical weapons.
Although the resolution does not automatically threaten the use of force if Syria reneges - a Western concession granted to Russia - the measure nonetheless represents the Security Council's most significant action to date on the Syria conflict. Approval by all 15 members came swiftly. China welcomed the UN resolution.
"China welcomes the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' decision and the United Nations Security Council's resolution on Syrian chemical weapons," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.