Rivals dial back threats over Syria
SYRIA: Fears that a major war could be imminent have eased across the Middle East after a flurry of tweets and statements by world leaders that suggest they are looking for ways to de-escalate the tensions of recent days.
United States-led air strikes in retaliation for the Syrian government’s alleged use of chemical weapons against a Damascus suburb last weekend remain a distinct possibility, but there were indications yesterday that efforts to head off a confrontation between global powers are gathering momentum.
In Moscow, the Kremlin sought to tamp down fears of a conflict with the US by signalling for the first time in days that it might not carry out threats to retaliate against a US strike.
‘‘We still believe that it is very necessary to avoid any steps which can trigger an escalation in tensions in Syria,’’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. ‘‘We believe that this could have a very destructive impact on the entire Syrian settlement.’’
Analysts in Russia said the focus now was on ways to ensure that any strikes were limited so they didn’t kill Russians, thereby allowing Moscow to refrain from carrying out its threats to retaliate. Thousands of Russian troops and military advisers have been supporting President Bashar alAssad’s seven-year-old efforts to crush the rebellion against his rule.
Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted anonymous Defence Ministry sources as saying that Russia’s General Staff was in touch with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and expected to receive the coordinates of air strike targets from the Pentagon to avoid Russian casualties.
‘‘Right now, the talk is about the necessity of de-escalation,’’ said Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst in Moscow. ‘‘We’ve practically come brink of war.’’
French President Emmanuel Macron gave the strongest indication yet that France was ready to join the US in attacking Syria, saying France had ‘‘proof’’ that some form of chemical attack occurred. But in a television interview, he also suggested that strikes were not imminent. He said a decision would be made ‘‘in due course, when we judge it most useful and effective’’, and that France ‘‘will not allow any escalation that could harm stability in the region’’.
In Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May met with her cabinet to discuss backing military action in Syria. A statement issued after the meeting was limited, saying that Britain believed the use of chemical weapons should not go to the ‘‘unchallenged’’, and that the government ‘‘agreed on the need to take action to alleviate humanitarian distress and to deter the further use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime’’, without committing to any form of military involvement.
US President Donald Trump has put off a final decision on air strikes, after tweeting earlier that they could happen ‘‘very soon or not so soon at all’’. The White House said yesterday he would consult further with allies, including Macron and May. US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned that such an attack carried the risk of spinning out of control.
Syrians who had been bracing for US air strikes for three nights in a row said the mood in the capital, Damascus, was relaxing, with residents increasingly shrugging off the threat as the days passed.
Assad remained defiant, telling reporters in Damascus that the US allegations of a chemical weapons attack were ‘‘based on facts fabricated by their accomplices’’.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Syria, a day after speaking on the phone with Trump. Erdogan told a political rally of his supporters that he would discuss ways to end the ‘‘chemical massacres’’ in Syria.
A Russian lawmaker said Turkey was seeking to mediate between Russia and the US, building on its relationships with the US military in Nato and the Russian military in Syria.
– Washington Post