Trump: Syria Attack ‘Could Be Very Soon Or Not So Soon’
Says meetings being srt up with North Korea’s Kim
US President Donald Trump cast doubt on Thursday over the timing of his threat to attack Syria in response to a reported poison gas attack. This was while Reuters reported France as saying it had proof of Syria’s guilt but needed to gather more information.
Fears of confrontation between Russia and the West have been running high on the heels of Trump’s threat on Wednesday that missiles“will be coming” after the suspected chemical weapons assault in the Syrian town of Douma on April 7, and lambasted Moscow for standing by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!” the U.S. president, who has cancelled a planned trip to stay in the US with his defence secretary, and has been canvassing support for strikes from the leaders of France and the UK, said in his latest early morning tweet on Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France has proof the Syrian government carried out the attack, which aid groups have said killed dozens of people, and will decide whether to strike back when all the necessary information has been gathered.
“We have proof that last week ... chemical weapons were used, at least with chlorine, and that they were used by the regime of Bashar al-Assad,” Macron said, without offering details of any evidence.
“We will need to take decisions in due course, when we judge it most useful and effective,” he told broadcaster TF1.
In Russia, Syria’s main military ally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged against “any steps which could lead to an escalation of tensions”.
In another development, Trump praised China on Thursday for its help with North Korea and said meetings were being set up between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“They have really been a great help to us at the border with North Korea,”Trump said of China. “They’ve been really terrific at helping us get to some kind of settlement.