US president tempers earlier Syria remarks

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and his national security aides have discussed US options on Syria, where he has threatened missile strikes in response to a suspected poison gas attack, as a Russian envoy voiced fears of wider conflict between Washington and Moscow.

Worries about a confrontation between Russia, Syria’s big ally, and the West have been running high since Trump said on Wednesday that missiles “will be coming” in response to the attack in the Syrian town of Douma on April 7 and lambasted Moscow for standing by Syrian president Bashar alAssad.

Trump tempered those remarks on Thursday and even as he consulted allies such as Britain and France, who could join in any US-led strikes on Syria, there were signs of efforts to prevent the crisis spiralling out of control.

“Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!” Trump wrote on Twitter, raising the prospect that an attack might not be as imminent as he had suggested. Trump met his national security team on the situation in Syria later in the day and “no final decision has been made”, the White House said.

“We are continuing to assess intelligence and are engaged in conversations with our partners and allies,” it said.

That did not necessarily signal, however, that Trump was cooling to the idea of military action, especially given the high stakes in Syria. Trump spoke to British prime minister Theresa May on Thursday and the two leaders talked about the “need for a joint response to Syria’s use of chemical weapons”, the White House said.

May’s office said they had agreed on the need to deter Assad’s government from further attacks.

Trump was also due to speak with French president Emmanuel Macron, who said France would decide whether to strike back when all the necessary information has been gathered on the attack near Damascus.