COVENEY ‘SICK TO STOMACH’ SEEING GASSED CHILDREN

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Minister Simon Coveney said he has been made ‘sick to his stomach’ by images of gassed children in Syria. But he also urged caution, warning against any rush to a military response by Western powers.

‘We don’t see how a military escalation that involve two of the most powerful countries in the world in a country already devastated by war helps the situation,’ he said.

‘I say that as a close friend of the US and the UK. We urge alternative ways to deal with a totally unacceptable attack that do not involve more killing.

‘Ireland will not be involved in any military action one way or the other,’ he insisted. ‘We believe these issues need to be resolved through dialogue and through politics,’

Mr Coveney made his stern remarks after a meeting in Dublin with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

‘The Irish view is to urge caution and to prioritise civilians,’ Mr Coveney said. ‘I have to say, looking at imagery of the consequences of the use of chemical weapons makes me sick to my stomach.

‘The world needs to be unambiguous in relation to its response to chemical weapons use on civilians. It is totally unacceptable.

‘There needs to be full accountability.’

Ruling out punishment by cruise missiles, he said: ‘I am not sure that military responses are going to improve the lives of citizens and civilians in Syria. So we urge caution in that regard, but that doesn’t mean Ireland is not strong in its demands and support for independent inspection teams, independent reporting and holding people who may be responsible for war crimes to account.

‘There needs to be truth in terms of independent inspection and reporting. I think that is what the UN should be of focusing on as a collective.’

Mr Maas was stronger however, declaring: ‘As far as Russia is concerned, I think we will have to face facts. Russia has expressed its verbal readiness to engage in a dialogue and we have to know, whenever push comes to shove, there isn’t much left of readiness and many of our partners are fed-up with this behaviour.

‘We are going to need that dialogue, but we have to be very clear in what we say, indicating what we are not willing to accept, and we have reached a point where we have be very clear that we now really expect Russia to act in a constructive manner and make a constructive contribution.’

He added: ‘We have been waiting for quite some time and we can’t go on like this. Immeasurable and unbearable suffering has been inflicted on innocent people. The war has led to such immeasurable suffering. What has happened has to be responded to. There has to be consequences.’

He said Germany supported the French initiative to make sure when chemicals are used ‘that the people responsible are held to account.’