European foreign ministers have urged the US to delay possible military action against Syria until UN inspectors report on a chemical weapons attack blamed on the Assad government and branded “a crime against humanity.” US Secretary of State John Kerry said he would share his counterparts’ concern with Obama administration officials. A senior State Department official who attended Kerry’s meeting with the ministers said Kerry made clear that the US has not made any decision to wait.
At the end of the meeting, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, read a statement calling the chemical attack a “blatant violation of international law, a war crime and a crime against humanity.” The statement said information from a wide variety of sources had confirmed the chemical attack and “seems to indicate strong evidence that the Syrian regime is responsible” as it is the only party “that possesses chemical weapons agents and the means of their delivery in a sufficient quantity.”
The statement said a “clear and strong response is crucial to make clear that such crimes are unacceptable and that there can be no impunity.” But at the same time, the statement said the EU backs the need to address the crisis through the UN process. The EU said it hoped a preliminary report of the investigation can be released as soon as possible and welcomed French President Francois Hollande’s statement to wait for this report before any further action is taken.
