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UN states urge action over Syria
Arab and Western states yesterday urged the UN Security Council to quickly call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside as his government’s forces reasserted control of Damascus suburbs after beating back rebels at the gates of the capital. Foreign secretary William Hague made it clear that the resolution “does not call for military action and could not be used to authorise it”. Diplomats have been haggling for days to find a text Moscow will not block.