Further comments on Syria by Kerry during news conferencewith Hague

(9 Sep 2013) US Secretary of State John Kerry said Syrian President Bashar Assad could resolve the crisis surrounding his purported use of chemical weapons by turning "every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week." But Kerry, who joined British Foreign Secretary William Hague at a news conference in London on Monday, said that he thought Assad "isn't about to do it." The United States has been seeking international support for limited strikes against Assad's government, which it accuses of using chemical weapons in an August 21 assault near the capital Damascus. The US cites intelligence reports as saying the attack killed at least 1,429 people, including more than 400 children, though other estimates are much lower. The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders says it has not been able to update its initial August 24 estimate of 355 killed because communication with those on the ground around Damascus is difficult. That estimate was based on reports from three hospitals in the area supported by the group. Kerry reiterated the US position that there is very compelling evidence that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against his own people. "We know, by tracing it physically, where the rockets came from and where they landed. And it is no accident that they all came from regime controlled territory and all landed in opposition controlled or contested territory," he said. He emphasised that the "risk of not acting is greater than the risk of acting." "The question for all of us is what are we going to do about it. Turn our backs, have a moment of silence where a dictator can with impunity threaten the rest of the world that he's going to retaliate for his own criminal activity because he is being held accountable?," he added. Assad warned in an interview broadcast Monday on CBS that there will be retaliation against the US for any military strike launched in response to the alleged chemical weapons attack. Assad said that anything should be expected in this conflict and the US would pay the price for its actions. Kerry also referred to the special relationship between the US and the UK. "Our bond as William (Hague) has just said is bigger than one vote, it's bigger than one moment in history. It's about values," he said. Kerry arrived in London on Sunday afternoon from Paris where he held talks with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and members of the Arab League. He was returning to Washington later on Monday to continue to lobby Congress to authorise a military strike against Assad's government. Meanwhile, Russian and Syrian Foreign Ministers said on Monday they planned to push for the return of United Nations inspectors to Syria to continue their probe into the use of chemical weapons. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...