WASHINGTON, Aug 26: US President Barack Obama has discussed the Syrian crisis with his French counterpart Francois Hollande, as Secretary of State John Kerry said there is “very little doubt” that a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian government against civilians.
The White House said, Obama and Hollande, during their conference call, expressed grave concern about the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime near Damascus.
“Obama and Hollande discussed possible responses by the international community and agreed to continue to consult closely,” the White House said.
Kerry, who continued with his global outreach on the crisis, told the world leaders during his telephonic calls that based in part on information its international partners have shared with the US, in addition to other intelligence and analysis, there is very little doubt that a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime in this incident.
“He reiterated that the President is studying the facts and will be making an informed decision about the responsible way forward,” a Senior State Department official said.
Kerry spoke with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his counterparts in Britain, France, Canada and Russia.
“In all of these calls, the Secretary stressed that if the Syrian regime wanted to prove to the world that it had not used chemical weapons in this incident, it would have stopped shelling the area and granted immediate access five days ago,” he said.
Also, British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke with Hollande and they reiterated strong condemnation of the alleged attack that took place in Damascus on Wednesday.
“They agreed that a chemical weapons attack against the Syrian people on the scale that was emerging demanded a firm response from the international community. This crime must not be swept under the carpet,” 10 Downing Street said in London.
Meanwhile, Senator Bob Corker, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, anticipated a surgical US response to the likely confirmation of the recent chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime in Syria.
But Corker cautioned against any such action upsetting an overall strategy to strengthen vetted, moderate opposition forces who could lead Syria after Assad.
“I think we will respond in a surgical way. And I hope the president, as soon as we get back to Washington, will ask for authorization from Congress to do something in a very surgical and proportional way, something that gets (the Assad regime’s) attention,” he said.
In a joint statement, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham called for decision actions.
“The US must rally our friends and allies to take limited military actions in Syria that can change the balance of power on the ground and create conditions for a negotiated end to the conflict and an end to Assad’s rule,” they said. (PTI)
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