US diplomat meets UN-AL envoy on Syria

WASHINGTON - The US State Department said on Tuesday that Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met with UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and discussed with him the current situation in Syria in Washington.

During their meeting on Monday at the State Department, Burns reiterated the strong US support for Brahimi's mission, according to a written statement issued by the department.

The two noted the "deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in Syria and the threat to regional security from Syria's continued instability," it added.

Brahimi on Friday urged the UN Security Council to act to save Syria from becoming a failed state. In a briefing to the UN General Assembly on the prolonged Syria crisis, Brahimi said that despite previous difficulties of the 15-member council to reach a resolution on the crisis, "I nevertheless feel that it is here and only here that a credible, implementable process can be put together."

Meanwhile, the United States has ratcheted up its pressure on the Syrian government. President Barack Obama on Monday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of "consequences" in using chemical weapons in the Arab country's 21-month conflict.

"The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable, and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable," he said.