DHAKA: Fancell ready to take action in Syria alongside the US, despite UK MPs blocking British involvement, President Francois Hollande has said.

He said a military strike within days could not be ruled out.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said after the UK vote that Washington would continue to seek a coalition.

The UN is investigating claims that the Syrian forces of President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. Mr Assad denies the claims, blaming rebels.

UN chemical weapons inspectors visited a hospital in a government-controlled area of Damascus on Friday.

They are due to give their preliminary findings to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over the weekend.
‘France is ready’

Mr Hollande told Le Monde newspaper that the UK vote, in which parliament rejected a government motion supporting the principle of military action, made no difference to France’s position.

“Each country is sovereign to participate or not in an operation. That is valid for Britain as it is for France,” he said.

He said that if the UN Security Council was unable to act, a coalition would form including the Arab League and European countries.

“But there are few countries which can have the capacity of enforcing any sanction through the appropriate measures,” he said.

“France will be part of it. France is ready.”

He ruled out strikes while the UN inspectors were in Syria. However he did not rule out the possibility that military action could be taken before next Wednesday, when the French parliament is due to debate the issue.

Neither France nor the US need parliamentary approval for action, and Secretary of State John Kerry said the US could not be held to the foreign policy of others.

The UK vote was welcomed in Russia, Syria’s main international ally.

Moscow said it reflected a growing public understanding of the dangers of an attack.

And the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen in Damascus says Syrian MPs are delighted with the UK vote.

He says they believe a letter they sent to the UK parliament inviting their British counterparts to inspect the evidence of chemical attacks had helped sway the vote against military action.

China, which has vetoed previous UN Security Council resolutions against Syria, reiterated on Friday that no action should be taken until the UN inspectors have reported on their findings.

And Germany said of military action that “such participation has not been sought nor is it being considered”.

Source: bbc
BDST: 2141 HRS, AUG 30, 2013
SR/RIS