 |
| Mr Obama said the US could not turn a blind eye to the use of chemical weapons |
US President Barack Obama's decision to delay possible military action in Syria while it is debated by Congress could "embolden" the forces of President Assad, an opposition group says.
Syrian National Coalition spokesman Louay Safi called the decision a "failure of leadership" by the US.
Government forces resumed shelling of opposition-held parts of Damascus as Mr Obama finished speaking on Saturday.
Syria denies US charges that its army used chemical weapons in August.
The US says 1,429 people were killed in chemical attacks by the Syrian army on 21 August.
he US president had said that such attacks would be a "red line", prompting US intervention in Syria.
On Saturday, Mr Obama said any action would be limited,
ruling out a ground invasion, but he has sent the US Congress draft
legislation seeking approval for the use of force as he "determines to
be necessary and appropriate" to prevent the Syrian government from
carrying out chemical weapons attacks.
Congress is due to reconvene on 9 September, meaning any military operation would not happen until then.
On Sunday, deputy Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told
the BBC that Mr Obama's decision would not change anything for Syria and
called it a play on words intended to buy time.
And the chairman of the Syrian parliament's national security
committee Ibrahim Mahmoud told the BBC that "our allies have offered
their full assistance but we need no one to fight our battles".
The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in the Syrian capital, Damascus, says
there is some relief in the city among those who feared that US attacks
could start this weekend.
He says the delay could give the government time to move some sensitive military equipment.
The shelling of opposition-held areas of the city late on
Saturday was a possible act of defiance by the army, our correspondent
adds.
Mr Safi, spokesman for the main opposition grouping, said he was disappointed with Mr Obama's announcement.
"Our fear now is that the lack of action could embolden the
regime and they repeat his attacks in a more serious way," he told CNN.
There has been no official statement since Mr Obama's
announcement but CBS quotes Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil as saying:
"If the US has postponed its decision, or retreated... this invites
ridicule from all sides."
 |
| The BBC's Jeremy Bowen, in Damascus: A week from now Syrians will be back to wondering whether the US is very close to striking |
In other developments:
- Foreign ministers from the Arab League are to discuss Syria at a meeting in Cairo, amid deep splits on the issue
- France says it will not launch any strike of its own before the vote in the US Congress
- UN inspectors who have been investigating the attacks have arrived in the Netherlands with samples from site visits. They say the testing could take up to three weeks
'Critical debate'
In a statement at the White House on Saturday, President Obama said he felt it was important to have a debate about intervention in Syria.
"I've long believed that our power is rooted not just in our military
might, but in our example as a government of the people, by the people,
and for the people.
"And that's why... I will seek authorisation for the use of
force from the American people's representatives in Congress," he said.
Later on Saturday, Mr Obama sent a "draft legislation" to the
two Congress leaders - the speaker of the House of Representatives and
the president of the Senate.
The legislation says the objective of a US military response
would be to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade'' the Syrian
government's ability to use chemical weapons.
Senior White House officials told the BBC that Mr Obama's
decision to seek congressional approval was made by the president on
Friday afternoon. It had not been planned until then.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said the vote
on the proposal would take place no later than the week of 9 September.
 |
| BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner examines what is known about the 21 August attack |
Opposition members have urged President Francois Hollande to seek a
formal vote before joining Washington in any military operation, but
correspondents say this is unlikely.
Also on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged
the US to present to the UN evidence that Syria had attacked rebels
with chemical weapons.
Russia - a key ally of Syria - has previously warned that
"unilateral military action bypassing the UN Security Council" would be a
"direct violation of international law".
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said his country will defend itself against any Western "aggression".
Forces which could be used against Syria:
• Four US destroyers - USS Gravely, USS Ramage, USS
Barry and USS Mahan - are in the eastern Mediterranean, equipped with
cruise missiles. The missiles can also be fired from submarines, but the
US Navy does not reveal their locations
• Airbases at Incirlik and Izmir in Turkey, and in Jordan, could be used to carry out strikes
• Two aircraft carriers - USS Nimitz and USS Harry S Truman are in the wider region
• French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is currently in Toulon in the western Mediterranean
• French Rafale and Mirage aircraft can also operate from Al-Dhahra airbase in the UAE
No comments:
Post a Comment