In two separate statements, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said they understood the US airstrike against the Syrian regime in response to the chemical attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April. Juncker and Mogherini once again condemned this attack.
Saying that Juncker had been unequivocal in his condemnation of the use of chemical weapons, the Commission statement, published in Juncker's name, stated that the "repeated use of such weapons must be answered". Juncker thus "understands efforts to deter further attacks", the statement said, highlighting that "there is a clear distinction between air strikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians". The statement said that the US had informed the EU that these strikes were limited and sought to deter further chemical attacks. The statement nevertheless added that "efforts to stem the spiral of violence in Syria and work towards a lasting peace should be redoubled", and that "only a political transition can lead" to such an outcome.
Speaking on behalf of the 28 EU member states, Mogherini said in her statement that the US had launched a strike on Shayrat Airfield in Syria "with the understandable intention to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons". She also said that Washington had informed the Europeans that these strikes were "limited and focused on preventing and deterring further use of chemical weapons atrocities". "The EU firmly believes that there can be no military solution to the conflict and is committed to the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian State. Only a credible political solution, as defined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 and the 2012 Geneva Communiqué will ensure peace and stability in Syria and enable a decisive defeat" of terrorist groups there, Mogherini stated, reiterating the EU's support to the UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks. A political solution to the Syrian conflict "is even more urgent now", she said. The previous day, in another statement on behalf of the EU287, Mogherini had urged the UN Security Council to meet, to condemn the chemical attack firmly and to ensure a swift, independent and impartial investigation.
Several member states have underscored their support for the US airstrikes. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President François Hollande considered, according to a press release from the Elysée Palace, that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad bore full responsibility for the airstrikes. In the UK, a Downing Street spokesperson said the government fully supported the US action, and added that the airstrikes were an appropriate response to a barbaric chemical attack carried out by the Syrian regime. By contrast, the Syrian regime, like Iran and Russia, has condemned the US airstrikes.
Antonio Tajani bans Syrian minister from visiting European Parliament
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has banned access to the European Parliament of Syria's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ayman Soussan, who was due to speak at a conference on Syria, for "security reasons". According to French news agency AFP, Tajani considered that, politically, it was "clearly inappropriate to organise this conference" due to the current developments. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)