Obama: Failure To Act Against Alleged Use Of Gas Will Embolden Rouge Nations
United States President, Barrack Obama has said the not taking action against alleged use of chemical weapons against the people in Syria will “embolden rouge nations”. He said this on Friday at Saint Petersburg, Russia, at the ongoing G20 summit while addressing the Press. Obama who admitted that the summit is divided sharply, on whether chemical weapon was used against innocent civilians by the regime of Bashar Assad said not doing anything about the incident will send wrong signals to others who are like him.
“Over 1400 people were gassed. Over 400 of them were children, this is not something we fabricated, this is not something we are using as an excuse of military action. This is the time we should make a choice for what we believe”
“I know some leaders including President Putin are not convinced, but we must do what is right. Military interventions are always unpopular because they are at a distance. But my resolve is for us to maintain peace”Obama added.
Obama who had sought the approval of the US Congress for the military intervention in Syria refused to answer when he was directly asked what he would do if the Congress turned down his request.
US secretary of States John Kerry alleged chemical attack was carried out on August 21 by Assad regime killing 1,429 people. Many nations have expressed opposition to the US planned military action against Syria. Russia has been vocal against the US on the issue saying there were no concrete proofs that Assad regime used chemical weapon.
The Prime Minister of United Kingdom, David Cameron who had earlier expressed his desire to use military force against Syria alongside his ally was stopped by the British Parliament in a move many see as a political blow for Cameron.
Earlier Friday, Vladimir Putin, the Russian President said, in his address to the press, that Russia will respond “appropriately” if the US went ahead with its threat of attacking Syria without United Nations approval.