Carr alarmed over chemical weapons claim but all talk is of Gillard

When Bob Carr took his seat at the table during the United Nations Security Council Meeting in New York earlier on Wednesday, it was the first time an Australian Foreign Minister had done so since 1986 - and the news was grim.

The Council voted to extend the UN mission in Afghanistan for another year, and it discussed early reports that chemical weapons had been used – allegedly by rebel forces – in Syria.

But when Senator Carr addressed reporters waiting for him after the meeting one of the main issues raised was the Labor leadership, and in particular the ongoing reports that he has lost faith in the prime ministership of Julia Gillard, who appointed him foreign minister last year after the resignation from that role of Kevin Rudd.

Senator Carr denied new reports that he had been in talks with Mr Rudd, or that he was prepared to fly home early to vote in a leadership spill.

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''That is entirely false, this is just another example of rumour feeding on itself. The media should grow up. No one has put that to me, absolutely no one,'' he said.

Senator Carr declined to address reports that Simon Crean was being drafted to run against Ms Gillard.

Senator Carr called the reports of chemical attacks in Syria ''deeply deeply alarming''. He said if the reports proved to be true, international law would have been broken. The Security Council was now seeking more information, he said.

Syrian state media alleged rebel forces had captured and used the chemical weapons. The White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a briefing that there was no evidence that rebels had used the weapons, and warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to use the claims as a pretext to use chemical weapons itself.

Before voting to extend the UN mission in Afghanistan, the Security Council debated improvement of governance and the maintenance of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

He said that just as Australia had expended ''blood and treasure'' on Afghanistan, the world had made a significant investment in its security and would not tolerate corrupt practices in its government.