US says vote likely Monday on Syrian chemical weapons probe

UNITED NATIONS – The United States has put a resolution that would extend the work of inspectors seeking to determine who is responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria into a final form and says a vote is likely on Monday.

The US Mission to the United Nations sent reporters the final text late Friday which would extend the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, known as the JIM, for another year.

Russia, a close ally of Syria, has criticized the JIM and it is unclear whether it would veto the resolution.

Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov said last Friday that Russia wants to wait for a JIM report, expected Oct. 26, to see if Syria is blamed for an April 4 chemical attack that killed over 90 people before making a decision.