BREAKING NEWS

Germany's Merkel calls on Russia to use UN for Syria reaction

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Thursday to use the United Nations Security Council to get a quick, international reaction to Syria's conflict, her spokesman said in a statement.
"The chancellor called on the Russian president to use negotiations in the UN Security Council for a quick, unanimous international reaction," the statement said, adding that both leaders agreed the conflict can be solved politically.
Less than four weeks before an election in which Merkel hopes to win a third term, she faces a balancing act in how to respond to a chemical weapons attack in Syria, as German voters overwhelmingly oppose military action there.
Moscow, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, is seen as certain to veto any call for intervention in the UN Security Council.