UN powers discuss Russia chemicals plan

Syrian rebels. BBC Photo

Envoys of the five permanent UN Security Council members have met in New York to discuss a Russian plan for making safe Syria's chemical weapons.

The UK, US and France are eager to frame a binding resolution but Russia prefers a non-binding declaration.

Russia and the US will hold key bilateral talks in Geneva on Thursday.

Syria has backed Russia's plan to place the chemical arms under international control. The US says it will hold off military strikes to pursue diplomacy.

Russia said earlier that it had now sent the US details of its plans.

More than 100,000 people have died in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.In other developments on Wednesday:

On the ground, the Syrian army is trying to retake the Christian town of Maaloula. The BBC's Jeremy Bowen, who has been at the scene, says heavy fighting continued throughout the day. Maaloula was overrun by rebel forces, including members of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, at the weekend

The latest report by UN rights experts, released on Wednesday, says torture and rape are widespread and war crimes are being committed by both sides

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the UN and its members must share a "heavy burden" for their "collective failure to prevent atrocity crimes in Syria"

The UK-based pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike on a field hospital in Aleppo province had killed at least 11 people.

BBC