花辨直播官方版_花辨直播平台官方app下载_花辨直播免费版app下载

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Americas

Obama vows 'limited, narrow' strikes on Syria

Xinhua | Updated: 2013-08-31 16:22

Obama vows 'limited, narrow' strikes on Syria

US President Barack Obama pauses while speaking about Syria to reporters during a meeting with Baltic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington August 30, 2013. Seated with Obama are Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite (C) and Vice President Joe Biden (R). [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said Friday the United States was considering "limited, narrow" military strikes on Syria but he set no timetable for action.

Obama said he was considering a "limited narrow act" in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, in remarks made before a meeting with three Baltic leaders at the White House.

"I have not made a final decision about various actions that might be taken to help enforce that norm," He said. "But as I've already said, I have had my military and our team look at a wide range of options."

Obama also ruled out "boots on the ground" or a long-term campaign. "We're not considering any open-ended commitment," He said. "We're not considering any boots on the ground approach."

Earlier in the day, the White House released an unclassified US intelligence report, which concluded with "high confidence" that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons multiple times last year, including the August 21 attack in Damascus suburbs.

Obama and his administration officials have said time and again that the Syrian government must be held accountable for its violation of the international norm against the use of banned weapons.

The US president pledged continued consultations with Congress, as some lawmakers are urging him to seek Congressional authorization for action against Syria.

Meanwhile, UN experts tasked with investigating the alleged chemical-weapons attack last week outside Damascus arrived in Lebanon from Syria on Saturday morning.

The team is due to report back immediately to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has appealed to the West to allow time for their findings to be addressed.

US allies are divided on the possible military attack on Syria. British lawmakers voted against any involvement in military action while France has signaled it would join the United States in carrying out such strikes.

Russia, however, insisted that any decisions on Syria should be made with UN mandate.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday urged a cautious and responsible attitude towards the major issue concerning war and peace during telephone talks with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius.

Wang said establishing the facts about whether chemical weapons have been used in Syria and who have used them is the prerequisite for any actions.

 

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US