| Boston.com | - |
PARIS
(AP) - The United States found itself Friday with France as its only
major partner in a potential strike against Syria, after a stunning
rejection of military force in Parliament forced Britain, America's
staunchest ally, to pull out of any operation.
Despite UK vote, France pledges to back US in Syria
PARIS (AP) — The United States found itself
Friday with France as its only major partner in a potential strike
against Syria, after a stunning rejection of military force in
Parliament forced Britain, America’s staunchest ally, to pull out of any
operation.
The collapse of British support for a mission
to punish Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons puts pressure on
President Barack Obama as resistance grows at home — and comes with the
irony that France was the most vocal critic of the US-led invasion of
Iraq.
French President Francois Hollande pledged backing for a potential American operation to hit the Damascus regime.
‘‘The chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and
must not remain unpunished,’’ Hollande said in an interview published
Friday by the newspaper Le Monde, as UN experts in Damascus began what
is expected to be the last day of their probe into the alleged attack.
Amid the turmoil of a British ‘‘no’’ and
mounting American skepticism, Obama appeared undeterred in his desire to
punish Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and advisers said he would be
willing to retaliate against Syria on his own.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking
from Manila, Philippines, issued an impassioned defense of the
principles behind the planned strike.
‘‘I don’t know of any responsible government
around the world ... that has not spoken out in violent opposition to
the use of chemical weapons on innocent people,’’ Hagel said, adding
that such attacks violate basic standards of decency.
He said that Washington would continue to seek
partners in its Syria mission: ‘‘Our approach is to continue to find an
international coalition that will act together.’’
On Thursday, the US administration shared
intelligence with lawmakers in an effort to persuade them that the
Syrian government used chemical weapons against its people.
In Damascus, shops and supermarkets filled
with people stocking up on bread, canned food and other necessities
ahead of the expected strikes, although there appeared to be no signs of
panic or food shortages. Prices have shot up because of the high
demand, residents complained.
Kheireddine Nahleh, a 53-year-old government employee, put on a brave face.
‘‘We got used to the sound of shelling,’’ he
said. ‘‘Death is the same, be it with a mortar or with an American
missile. I'm not afraid.’’
On the last expected day of chemical weapons
inspections, three UN vehicles headed out for more on-site visits,
following an early morning delay.
The UN has said the inspectors will wrap up
their investigation Friday and leave Syria for the Hague, Netherlands,
on Saturday. Some of the experts will travel to laboratories in Europe
to deliver the material they've collected this week during trips to the
Damascus suburbs purportedly hit by toxic gas.
Russia, which as a firm backer of the Assad
regime is fiercely hostile to military intervention, expressed
bewilderment Friday at why the UN team was leaving so soon.
‘‘We don’t quite understand why the entire
team had to be going back to the Hague when there are many questions
about a possible use of chemical weapons in other areas in Syria,’’ said
Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the timing
reflected the urgency of getting any samples to laboratories, noting
that the inspectors must do that themselves to ‘‘ensure the chain of
custody.’’ He said the inspectors intend to return to Syria to
investigate other alleged attacks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has
warned that military strikes would lead to long-term destabilization of
Syria and the region. He has spoken against any use of force without UN
Security Council approval, which he said would be a ‘‘crude violation of
international law.’’ Russia has remained a strong ally of Syria
throughout the civil war, which has left more than 100,000 people dead.
In Paris, Hollande suggested that action could
even come ahead of Wednesday’s extraordinary session of the French
Parliament, called to discuss the Syria situation; lawmakers’ approval
is not needed for Hollande to order military action.
‘‘I will not take a decision before having all
the elements that would justify it,’’ he told Le Monde. However, noting
that he had convened parliament, he added: ‘‘And if I have (already)
committed France, the government will inform (lawmakers) of the means
and objectives.’’
The British parliament voted late Thursday
against military action in Syria, whittling down the core of the planned
coalition to the United States and France. Italy and Germany have said
they won’t take part in any military action that doesn’t have Security
Council backing.Continued...
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