Merkel pushes for urgent security council meeting on syria

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for an urgent Security Council meeting to reach a joint stance on Syria in the wake of the United States decision to arm the rebels and the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone. “This has to be discussed urgently at the Security Council. We hope the Security Council will achieve a united approach,” Merkel told the BBC in an interview, adding that it would still be best to hold an international peace conference on Syria. She said Germany’s position that it would not send weapons to the rebels remained unchanged. Following revelations by the US that the forces of President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against the opposition, the White House said the regime has crossed a “red line” and that it would now provide arms to the rebels.