Syria

Germany rules out role in military strike against Syria

merkel_390_2203German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has ruled out his country’s participation in any military against Syria following failure by permanent members of UN Security Council (UNSC) to reach any agreement on the controversial issue.

Westerwelle stated in a partially reported interview with German newspaper Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung that such military action had “neither been asked nor is it being considered by us,” according to comments published by the newspaper on the interview prior to its Saturday release.

The remarks come following a Russia-called UNSC meeting on Thursday on the developing situation in Syria failed to achieve any results.

The discussions, which lasted for less than an hour, ended as participants failed to reach a consensus with the ambassadors of China, France, Britain, Russia and the United States gradually leaving the talks.

The meeting was the second time the permanent UNSC members met to discuss a draft resolution on Syria submitted by Britain.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Security Council met to debate the draft resolution that could pave the way for a military strike against Syria.

This is while Russia has remained fiercely opposed to foreign interference against the Arab country, arguing that there is no proof that the Syrian government was responsible for the alleged chemical attack last Wednesday.

“Russia opposes any resolution of the UN Security Council indicating the probability of the use of force [or] any resolution that could be used for military action against Syria,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Friday.

This is while the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has categorically denied the allegation of using chemical arms, insisting that the foreign-backed militants in the country were behind the move.

Gatilov also stated on Thursday that “Declared plans by some states to inflict a military strike on Syria are an undisguised challenge to the key provisions of the UN Charter and other norms of international law.”

China has also expressed opposition to any military intervention in Syria and urged other nations not to put pressure on the UN investigation team already in Damascus.

“China supports the conduct of a fair, objective and professionally done [UN] investigation without exertion of any pressure from the outside,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, calling all the sides to “refrain from forecasting the results, let alone undertaking any kind of actions.”

The call for military action against Syria intensified after the foreign-backed militants operating inside Syria claimed on August 21 that hundreds had been killed in a government chemical attack on militant strongholds in the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar.

A number of Western countries, including the United States, France, and the UK, were quick to engage in a major publicity campaign to promote war against Syria despite the fact that Damascus categorically rejected the claim on the use of chemical arms.

Media outlets reported US plans for likely surgical attacks, which would be in the form of “cruise-missile strikes,” and “could rely on four US destroyers in the Mediterranean [Sea].” The plan was said to be awaiting US President Barack Obama’s go-ahead.

Washington has said it is willing to go ahead with its plans for a strike on Syria even without the approval of the United Nations or the support of its allies.

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