Comments
Western and Arab states reached a “consensus” at a meeting in Amman over military action in Syria, officials said on Tuesday, paving the way for limited missile strikes as early as this week.
“It was decided that should the international community be forced to act in Syria, the most responsible and sustainable response would be limited missile strikes,” said a Jordanian military official close to the proceedings who was not authorised to speak to the press.
The army chiefs from 10 nations refused to set a timeline for the proposed strikes, but participants agreed to prepare for military action as early as “this week.” Any military action must first be approved by national leaders.
The emergency summit — which featured the participation of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey and top military brass from Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Jordan — was held in the wake of chemical weapons attacks in the Damascus countryside last week in which the opposition claims 1,300 people died.
In addition to missile strikes, participants also weighed an extended air campaign designed to ground Syria’s air force and the establishment of a no-fly-zone.
According to diplomatic sources, participants were divided over a response until late Sunday, with the US, and Saudi Arabia favouring more limited missile strikes and Britain and France pushing for a widescale intervention.
Participants eventually settled on a series of guided missile strikes to be carried out either via naval or air power as a “compromise,” sources say.
Downing Street announced Tuesday that British armed forces were drawing up contingency plans for a strike.
On the sidelines of the gathering, US, French and Saudi Arabian delegations met with leaders from the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian National Coalition for the Opposition (SNC) to discuss the ramifications of a potential strike, according to SNC sources.
The gathering, part of a series of regional security conferences, was originally scheduled for mid-September but was moved forward in the wake of the alleged chemical weapons attacks.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.