BBC News with Jerry Smit.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Syria has told a British newspaper the country's civil war has reached a stalemate and the government is ready to call for a ceasefire. Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, Qadri Jamil said neither the government forces nor the rebels were capable of defeating the other side. More details from Jim Muir in Beirut. “This was (an) unusual talk from a senior government figure, albeit one who is not a hard-core Baath Party loyalist. In fact, Qadri Jamil is a former communist, his party took part in demonstrations against the regime at the beginning of the uprising two and half years ago. But in his interview with the Guardian, he insisted that he was speaking for the government. “It realized”, he said, “that neither side could win the war for the time being, there was a stalemate.” That in itself front countered to the normal government line that the rebels labeled terrorist must be defeated.”
The American Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the UN Security Council must be prepared to act on Syria by drawing up a binding resolution next week. He insisted the facts concerning the use of chemical weapons in the attack of August 21 were beyond dispute and it was implausible to think that opposition rebels were responsible. Mr. Kerry said there was no time for any more disputes or to pretend that everyone could have their own set of facts. It is vital for the international community to stand up and speak out in the strongest possible terms about the importance of enforceable action to rid the world of Syria's chemical weapons.