The US defence chief said
Tuesday his forces are ready to launch strikes
against the Syrian regime over alleged
chemical attacks, amid growing Western and
Arab calls for action. Syria vowed defiantly to defend itself against
any attack with “surprise” measures, while its
close ally Russia warned that any use of force
would have “catastrophic consequences” in the
region. Global stock markets dived and world oil prices
hit a six-month high over fears of possible
military intervention, as the drumbeat of war
grew louder. Speaking in Brunei, US Defence Secretary
Chuck Hagel said the military was prepared to
act once President Barack Obama gave the
order. “We are prepared. We have moved assets in
place to be able to fulfil and comply with
whatever option the president wishes to take,”
he said. “We are ready to go, like that.” The Washington Post cited senior US
administration officials as saying such action
would probably last no more than two days and
involve missiles or long-range bombers,
striking military targets not directly linked to
Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. In Paris, French President Francois Hollande
said his country was “ready to punish” those
behind the alleged chemical attacks which the
opposition claims killed hundreds in Damascus
suburbs last week. The regime vehemently denies those charges
and has in turn blamed the rebels. Hollande also said France would ‘increase
military support’ to the main Syrian opposition. Britain, meanwhile, said its armed forces were
drawing up contingency plans for action in
Syria, and Prime Minister David Cameron has
recalled parliament from its summer break to
debate the crisis. Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu,
said the suspected chemical attack was a
“crime against humanity” that “cannot go
unpunished”. He had said in remarks published on Monday
that Turkey, a NATO member that borders
Syria, would join an international coalition
against it even if the UN Security Council failed
to reach a consensus. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose
country has provided Syria’s regime with
diplomatic cover by blocking Security Council
action, was unimpressed by what the West has
called mounting evidence of an atrocity. He told Cameron on Monday there was no
proof Damascus had used chemical weapons,
the British premier’s office said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said
Moscow would not get involved in any military
conflict, and it has warned that intervention
would have “catastrophic consequences” for
the volatile Middle East. Nevertheless, senior military officers from
Western and Muslim countries met in Jordan to
discuss the regional impact of the war in Syria,
wrapping up a two-day meeting on Tuesday. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal
said “the situation calls for a firm and serious
attitude to put an end to the human tragedy of
the Syrian people.” And permanent representatives of the 22-
member Arab League meeting in Cairo said the
Assad regime bore the “entire responsibility”
for the August 21 attacks. An official of the opposition Syrian National
Coalition said it expects a Western military
intervention within days and has been
consulted over targets. “It’s a question of days and not weeks,” said
Ahmad Ramadan, adding that “there have been
meetings between the Coalition, the (rebel)
Free Syrian Army and allied countries during
which possible targets have been discussed.” They included airports, military bases and arms
depots, he said. Ramadan also said bases used to fire missiles
and Scuds, especially the army’s Brigade 155
near Damascus, were in line for punitive
strikes, after medical charity Doctors Without
Borders said 355 people died of “neurotoxic
symptoms” last week. During a defiant news conference, Syria
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus
would defend itself against any strikes. “We have two options: either to surrender, or to
defend ourselves with the means at our
disposal,” he said. “The second choice is the best: we will defend
ourselves.” Muallem said Syria had capabilities that would
“surprise” the world, and warned that any
military action against it would serve the
interests of Israel and Al-Qaeda. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
vowed a serious retaliation of his country were
attacked. “The State of Israel is prepared for every
scenario,” he said following consultations on
the crisis. “We are not part of the civil war in
Syria, but if we detect any attempt to hurt us,
we will react, and react fiercely.” Meanwhile, UN chemical weapons experts
postponed efforts to collect more evidence
from the site of the alleged attacks. They had been due to make a second visit to
the sites on Tuesday, but Muallem said the
mission had been put off because rebels failed
to guarantee their security. That was confirmed
by the United Nations. The UN convoy had come under sniper fire on
Monday as it tried to approach a suburb where
a chemical attack apparently took place, but
managed to interview victims receiving
treatment in two nearby hospitals. The increasing signs of impending military
action sparked losses on global stock markets. In afternoon London trading, the FTSE 100
index dropped 0.64 percent, the CAC 40 index
in Paris shed 2.23 percent and Frankfurt’s DAX
30 sank 1.49 percent. New York’s Dow Jones Industrial Average
opened 0.72 percent lower. The price of oil rose, with Brent crude at one
stage reaching $111.92 — the highest point
since early March — before closing at $111.81,
a gain of $1.08 on Monday.
Tuesday his forces are ready to launch strikes
against the Syrian regime over alleged
chemical attacks, amid growing Western and
Arab calls for action. Syria vowed defiantly to defend itself against
any attack with “surprise” measures, while its
close ally Russia warned that any use of force
would have “catastrophic consequences” in the
region. Global stock markets dived and world oil prices
hit a six-month high over fears of possible
military intervention, as the drumbeat of war
grew louder. Speaking in Brunei, US Defence Secretary
Chuck Hagel said the military was prepared to
act once President Barack Obama gave the
order. “We are prepared. We have moved assets in
place to be able to fulfil and comply with
whatever option the president wishes to take,”
he said. “We are ready to go, like that.” The Washington Post cited senior US
administration officials as saying such action
would probably last no more than two days and
involve missiles or long-range bombers,
striking military targets not directly linked to
Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. In Paris, French President Francois Hollande
said his country was “ready to punish” those
behind the alleged chemical attacks which the
opposition claims killed hundreds in Damascus
suburbs last week. The regime vehemently denies those charges
and has in turn blamed the rebels. Hollande also said France would ‘increase
military support’ to the main Syrian opposition. Britain, meanwhile, said its armed forces were
drawing up contingency plans for action in
Syria, and Prime Minister David Cameron has
recalled parliament from its summer break to
debate the crisis. Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu,
said the suspected chemical attack was a
“crime against humanity” that “cannot go
unpunished”. He had said in remarks published on Monday
that Turkey, a NATO member that borders
Syria, would join an international coalition
against it even if the UN Security Council failed
to reach a consensus. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose
country has provided Syria’s regime with
diplomatic cover by blocking Security Council
action, was unimpressed by what the West has
called mounting evidence of an atrocity. He told Cameron on Monday there was no
proof Damascus had used chemical weapons,
the British premier’s office said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said
Moscow would not get involved in any military
conflict, and it has warned that intervention
would have “catastrophic consequences” for
the volatile Middle East. Nevertheless, senior military officers from
Western and Muslim countries met in Jordan to
discuss the regional impact of the war in Syria,
wrapping up a two-day meeting on Tuesday. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal
said “the situation calls for a firm and serious
attitude to put an end to the human tragedy of
the Syrian people.” And permanent representatives of the 22-
member Arab League meeting in Cairo said the
Assad regime bore the “entire responsibility”
for the August 21 attacks. An official of the opposition Syrian National
Coalition said it expects a Western military
intervention within days and has been
consulted over targets. “It’s a question of days and not weeks,” said
Ahmad Ramadan, adding that “there have been
meetings between the Coalition, the (rebel)
Free Syrian Army and allied countries during
which possible targets have been discussed.” They included airports, military bases and arms
depots, he said. Ramadan also said bases used to fire missiles
and Scuds, especially the army’s Brigade 155
near Damascus, were in line for punitive
strikes, after medical charity Doctors Without
Borders said 355 people died of “neurotoxic
symptoms” last week. During a defiant news conference, Syria
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus
would defend itself against any strikes. “We have two options: either to surrender, or to
defend ourselves with the means at our
disposal,” he said. “The second choice is the best: we will defend
ourselves.” Muallem said Syria had capabilities that would
“surprise” the world, and warned that any
military action against it would serve the
interests of Israel and Al-Qaeda. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
vowed a serious retaliation of his country were
attacked. “The State of Israel is prepared for every
scenario,” he said following consultations on
the crisis. “We are not part of the civil war in
Syria, but if we detect any attempt to hurt us,
we will react, and react fiercely.” Meanwhile, UN chemical weapons experts
postponed efforts to collect more evidence
from the site of the alleged attacks. They had been due to make a second visit to
the sites on Tuesday, but Muallem said the
mission had been put off because rebels failed
to guarantee their security. That was confirmed
by the United Nations. The UN convoy had come under sniper fire on
Monday as it tried to approach a suburb where
a chemical attack apparently took place, but
managed to interview victims receiving
treatment in two nearby hospitals. The increasing signs of impending military
action sparked losses on global stock markets. In afternoon London trading, the FTSE 100
index dropped 0.64 percent, the CAC 40 index
in Paris shed 2.23 percent and Frankfurt’s DAX
30 sank 1.49 percent. New York’s Dow Jones Industrial Average
opened 0.72 percent lower. The price of oil rose, with Brent crude at one
stage reaching $111.92 — the highest point
since early March — before closing at $111.81,
a gain of $1.08 on Monday.
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