Brussels, 03/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - While, on 4 September, the French parliament will be discussing the situation in Syria and possible French intervention, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on 2 September that the French president, François Hollande, is seeking to form a coalition, on which intervention is conditional. Ayrault explained that Hollande continues his work of persuasion in order to find a coalition as soon as possible so that Damascus' use of chemical weapons will not go unpunished. He said that only a coalition will be able to conduct firm action to ensure that chemical weapons are not used by the dictator Assad against his own people. It is out of the question for France to act on its own, he added, also explaining that firm and proportionate action is needed, action that is not intended to overthrow the regime or to liberate the country. On 3 September, Hollande confirmed that France would not be sending ground troops.
Paris publishes documents on chemical attack. On 2 September, the French government also removed the classified restriction on documents relating to the chemical attack on 21 August. It underlines that the “analysis of intelligence available to us today leads us to believe that, on 21 August 2013, the Syrian regime launched an attack on a number of parts of the Damascus suburb held by opposition units, using conventional means of attack and the massive use of chemical weapons”. “The attack could not have been ordered or conducted except by the regime”, it states (our translation), adding that “the Syrian opposition does not have the capacity to conduct an operation of such magnitude with chemical agents”. After a “methodical” analysis of 47 videos of the events, France counted at least 281 fatalities and said that the victims did not have bodily wounds but showed clinical signs consistent with contamination by chemical agents. Already at the end of August British espionage services stated that no scenarios were plausible other than that in which responsibility for the attack falls on the Syrian regime.
EU prefers to wait. Michael Mann, the spokesman for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, who spoke on behalf of the European Union, said information from Paris, Washington and other countries had been noted concerning the use of chemical weapons. He added that the EU did not have information to the contrary but that it preferred to wait, especially for the final report from the United Nations inspectors, before giving its final judgment. Mann said that the informal Foreign Affairs Council to be held in Vilnius on 6 and 7 September will provide an opportunity to discuss the situation and “our response”.
Call for Security Council reaction. Furthermore, the foreign ministers Carl Bildt (Sweden), Villy Sovndal (Denmark), Urmas Paet (Estonia), Erkki Tuomioja (Finland), Edgars Rinkevics (Latvia), Linas Linkevicius (Lithuania), Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson (Iceland) and Espen Barth Eide (Norway) said in a joint statement that they condemned the use of chemical weapons “in the strongest possible terms”, saying that they are “convinced a strong international reaction is required”. They called on the Security Council to “declare unequivocally that any use of chemical weapons represents a grave violation of international law”, saying: “Such use must be condemned in no uncertain terms, appropriate measures must be taken, and those responsible must be brought to justice”. (CG/transl.jl)