Baird warns Syria as crisis talks near
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird warned Tuesday the world “will not sit back” if the Syrian government uses chemical weapons against its own people.
However, he stopped short of saying whether Canada would participate in an international intervention if that troubling scenario occurs.
In recent days, speculation has mounted over whether Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces might launch a chemical attack. Speaking from Morocco where he will sit down this week with Syrian opposition leaders and representatives from more than 100 countries, Baird said the threat posed by Assad’s chemical weapons remains “top-of-mind.”
CTV News has reported Canada’s Foreign Affairs and Defence departments are drawing up plans to deploy a special forces unit that specializes in hazardous material such as chemical and biological weapons as well as a Foreign Affairs disaster response team.
“The Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons on a civilian population is something that is incredibly unwise and something they should not do,” Baird said when asked about the report. “The international community will not sit back. “
Last week, Baird was similarly noncommittal about Canadian military action following a media report from France that some NATO members are preparing a military strike should Syria use its chemicalweapon stockpiles.
Fears the Syrian military was readying its chemical weapons after suffering a number of setbacks in its fight against anti-government rebels were stoked last week following warnings from U.S. intelligence officials.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday he remained concerned about the illegal weapons being used even though he acknowledged there were no new indications the Syrian government was closer to using them.
“At this point the intelligence has really kind of levelled off,” he told reporters travelling with him to Kuwait, according to The Associated Press. “We haven’t seen anything new indicating any aggressive steps to move forward in that way.”
Panetta indicated that Assad may have decided to back away from using chemical weapons.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S. recognizes a coalition of Syrian opposition groups as the “legitimate” representative of the country’s people, putting new pressure on Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Obama announced the policy shift in an interview with ABC News, calling it “a big step”.
The coalition already has won recognition from the U.K., France and the European Union.
Baird is expected to announce at the Friends of Syria meeting that Canada will be providing more humanitarian assistance to help the estimated 500,000 Syrians forced from their homes. An estimated 40,000 people have been killed since the Syrian government launched its crackdown in March 2011.