Europe reacts
The threat of missiles over the Mediterranean weighed on world leaders meeting on the shores of the Baltic. Even as Russia and China oppose unilateral action outside UN’s mandate, France has stood beside the US, calling for strong action against Syria. France has vowed to “punish” Assad for the alleged attack and this week released an intelligence report that blamed for the assault on the Syrian leader’s regime.
Just a pretext: Khamenei
Iran has called allegations of the chemical weapons attack by the regime a “pretext” to launch strikes against the country. Iran has pledged support to Damascus “until the end”. The US and their allies “are using the chemical weapon as a pretext,” and “are saying that they want to intervene for humanitarian reasons,” said Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
EU calls for info
The European Union urged UN investigators to release information as soon as possible about a chemical weapons attack in Syria so the international community can decide how to respond. EU president Herman Van Rompuy said the August 21 attack “was a blatant violation of international law and a crime against humanity,” adding that it was too early for a military response.
China warns of impact
China warned of global economic risks linked to a potential US-led military intervention in Syria’s civil war. Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao says such “military action would definitely have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price.”