I’ve not set a red line on Syria, says Obama

Obama seeks world support for strike

Washington/St Petersburg/Damascus, Sept. 4: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday defended his decision to go for a limited military strike against the Assad regime of Syria arguing that it is a question of credibility of the international community. However, an adamant Syria said that it will not give in “even if there is WWIII”.

“My credibility is not on the line. The international community’s credibility is on the line, and America and Congress’ credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important,” Mr Obama said in Stockholm.

Responding to a question, Mr Obama said the red line against the use of chemical weapons was not set by him.

“I didn’t set a red line. The world set a red line. The world set a red line when governments representing 98 per cent of the world’s population said the use of chemical weapons are abhorrent and passed a treaty forbidding their use even when countries are engaged in war,” he said.

— Agencies

Washington, Sept. 4: US President Barack Obama questioned the international law of intervention.

“The question is how credible is the international community when it says this is an international norm that has to be observed? The question is how credible is Congress when it passes a treaty saying we have to forbid the use of chemical weapons?” he asked.

“And I do think that we have to act because if we don’t, we are effectively saying that even though we may condemn it and issue resolutions and so forth and so on, some- body who is not shamed by resolutions can continue to act with impunity,” he said. Mr Obama warned that if the international community does not act now, the international norms would begin to erode and other despots and authoritarian regimes can start looking and saying that’s something they can get away with.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, ruled out any future military action in Syria.

However, speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cameron excluded the possibility of Britain having any role in military action.

Syria’s deputy foreign minister said the regime would not give in to threats of a US-led military strike against the country, even if a third world war erupts.

In an interview, Faisal Muqdad said the government had taken “every measure to counter a potential intervention aimed at punishing the regime and was mobilising its allies.

“The Syrian government will not change position even if there is World War III. No Syrian can sacrifice the independence of his country,” he said. — Agencies