Showdown looms at UN as US gets set for Syria strike

The United Nations Security Council was set for a showdown over Syria on Wednesday as Britain sought authorisation for Western military action that Russia called premature and seems certain to block. UN chemical weapons experts investigating a gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians in rebel-held suburbs of Damascus made a second trip to take samples. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pleaded for them to be given another four days to complete their mission and a UN official said there was some friction with impatient Western governments who show little interest in waiting for the inspectors’ report. The US and its European and Arab allies have already pinned the blame on President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. Even if a sceptical Russia blocks UN approval, US-led airstrikes on Syria, possibly for several days, look all but certain — though the timing is far from clear.