PARIS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday regretted that the U.N. Security Council was unable to come out with a joint response on the suspected chemical attack in Syria, Macron's office said in a statement.
On Tuesday, a U.S.-drafted resolution on a new mechanism investigating chemical weapons use in Syria was vetoed by Russia, whose draft resolution for the same purpose failed to win majority support in the council.
A third text tabled by Russia on the basis of a Swedish document also failed to be adopted over the weekend. The document aims to find common ground in the Security Council for an outcome in support of an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons into the alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia had argued that the U.S. draft prejudges the outcome of an investigation.
Nebenzia accused the United States of pushing for a vote as a pretext for possible use of force against Syria.
The two European leaders expressed "their common concern following the unacceptable attacks on Saturday (April 7) in Syria, and the threats posed by these new violations of chemical weapons," it added.
They also agreed by phone to remain " in close contact" to discuss the developments of Syrian situation.
