BRITISH PRIME MINISTER David Cameron called on Syria’s president to step down following an escalation of violence and bombings in the capital Damascus.

Cameron also appealed to Russia and China to support a new UN resolution that threatens non-military sanctions and is tied to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which could eventually allow the use of force to end the conflict.

It is time for the United Nations Security Council to Pass clear and tough messages about sanctions, I believe under Chapter 7 of the UN, and be unambiguous about it.

The UN Security Council will vote today on a new Syria resolution after a last-minute delay failed to get key Western nations and Russia to agree on measures to end the dramatically escalating violence.

“It is time for him to go, it is time for transition in this regime,” Cameron said of the Syrian president.

Clearly Britain doesn’t support violence on either side, but if there isn’t transition there is going to be civil war. That is the clear fact that we can all see on the ground.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports today that the White House said that yesterday’s deaths of three top Syrian military figures shows that the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, is losing control.

ABC reports that the White House Press Secretary said that the administration doesn’t believe violence is the answer to the current situation in Syria, but it did not all-out condemn the killings of the three officials.

The dead men included President al-Assad’s brother in law, Assef Shawkat. According to the New York Times, the men were killed by a bomb which was was supposed to be a secure room.

Today’s UN vote threatens non-military sanctions against President Bashar Assad’s government if he doesn’t withdraw troops and heavy weapons from populated areas within 10 days and is tied to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which could eventually allow the use of force to end the conflict.

Russia, which is a close Syrian ally, has said it will veto any Chapter 7 resolution.

In Moscow on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed to Wednesday’s deadly bombing and accused the West of inciting the Syrian opposition.

After a phone call from President Barack Obama to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday afternoon, the Russian and US ambassadors met at the United Nations but there was no breakthrough.

If the Western-backed draft resolution is vetoed, Russia could then put its rival text to a vote.

The council is under pressure because the mandate of the 300-strong UN observer force in Syria expires on Friday, and it must decide by then whether to extend it.

If neither the Western nor the Russian texts are approved, the council would then have until Friday to decide whether to extend the observer mission.

The unarmed observers were authorised for 90 days to monitor a cease-fire and implementation of Annan’s six-point peace plan.

- Additional reporting from AP

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