The US is considering launching a punitive strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, blamed by the US and the Syrian opposition for an August 21 chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held suburb of the capital Damascus.
Here is a look at key Syria developments around the world amid heightened tension over potential military action:
United States:
The US government said it had “high confidence” that Syria’s government carried out a chemical weapons attack – killing 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Those numbers are significantly higher than those reported by Syrian activists and aid workers. The US chemical weapons assessment said Assad’s government used an unidentified nerve agent and cites human and satellite intelligence that it said backs up publicly available videos and other evidence.
Syria:
Syria’s government said US administration claims were “flagrant lies” akin to faulty Bush administration assertions before the Iraq invasion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. A Foreign Ministry statement said that “under the pretext of protecting the Syrian people, they are making a case for an aggression that will kill hundreds of innocent Syrian civilians”. UN experts completed a final day of on-site visits in their investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Shops and supermarkets in Damascus were filled with people stocking up on bread, canned food and candles ahead of expected strikes, but there were no apparent signs of panic or shortages. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the chemical weapons investigators visited a military hospital in Damascus in response to the Syrian government’s allegations of three chemical weapons attacks against Syrian soldiers earlier this month. The team packed and left Syria yesterday.
United Nations:
Secretary general Ban Ki-moon privately briefed the five permanent members of the Security Council on the activities of the chemical weapons team. Mr Nesirky said the team had concluded its collection of evidence related to the alleged August 21 chemical weapons attack, including visits to field hospitals, interviews with witnesses and doctors, and gathering biological samples and environmental samples.
Denmark:
Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen from Copenhagen said the alliance has no plans for military action in Syria. He said approval for doing so would require the approval all 28 Nato members. But Mr Rasmussen pointed the finger towards Syrian forces for the chemical weapons attack, saying: “It demands cynicism beyond what is reasonable to believe that the opposition is behind a chemical attack in an area it already largely controls.”
France:
President François Hollande said his country can go ahead with plans to strike Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons despite Britain’s failure to endorse military action. He told the newspaper Le Monde that the “chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished”.
Russia:
Presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov expressed puzzlement over why the UN team had finished its work “when there are many questions about a possible use of chemical weapons in other areas in Syria”. Russia has insisted there is no evidence the government is behind the attack. Russia and China have said that they would block any UN resolution that authorises use of force against Syria’s government.
Britain:
Chancellor George Osborne warned that Britain should not turn its back on the world after the stunning parliamentary defeat of a government motion for military intervention in Syria. He told the BBC there would be “national soul-searching” about Britain’s global role after the No vote.
Germany:
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Germany was not considering joining military action against Syria and had not been asked by others to do so. Berlin has called for the international community to take a “clear position” following the alleged chemical attack, but has left open what exactly that might entail.
Iraq:
Followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held rallies in Baghdad and the southern Iraqi city of Basra to denounce any Western strikes against Syria. In the capital, about 2,000 Sadrists demonstrated while chanting anti-American slogans after Friday prayers. About 3,000 Sadrists rallied in Basra, some carrying banners reading ‘No to America’.
Tunisia:
Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi expressed opposition to any kind of foreign intervention in Syria, citing the “negative consequences” of any such operation. He called for “peaceful means and dialogue to find a solution to the crisis” to protect Syria’s civilian population and preserve the country’s territorial integrity.