The United States mentioned yesterday the possibility of military intervention in Syria in the case chemical weapons will be deployed or used in this country, where fighting between insurgents and government forces increase, especially in Aleppo, according to AFP. “We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized,” President Barack Obama said during a press conference. “That would change my calculus,” he added.
“We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people,” Obama said. He admitted that he was not “absolutely confident” the chemical weapons stockpile was secure. The President was asked about the possibility of the U.S. using forces to safeguard the chemical weapons in Syria. He replied: “We’re monitoring that situation very carefully. We have put together a range of contingency plans.”
French President, Francois Hollande, reiterated that a political solution in Syria is not possible without departure from power of President Bashar al-Assad. He discussed this topic with new international mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi, who previously said that he is not yet ready to take a position on this issue. “It is necessary to stop this civil war and it will not be easy,” said for France 2 the designated successor to Kofi Annan.
“What is happening on the ground, are terrorist crimes from armed groups targeting the Syrian people, supported by known countries”, said the Syrian Foreign Ministry, trying to deny the civil war term. Damascus accuses Saudi Arabia and Qatar for constantly supplying insurgents with weapons.
At least 131 people, including 57 civilians, 37 soldiers and 37 rebels were killed Monday, according to an interim report of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who estimated a total of about 23,000 people dead since the beginning of the uprising in March 2011.
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