Italy Rules Out Armed Action in Syria without U.N.

 Italy on Tuesday ruled out taking part in any type of military intervention in Syria without U.N. Security Council approval, saying there was no alternative to "a negotiated political solution".

"Italy will not take part in any military solutions without a U.N. Security Council mandate," Foreign Minister Emma Bonino told parliamentarians in Rome.

"Even the option of a limited intervention risks becoming unlimited," the minister said, adding that Italy was "already stretched and even over-stretched" militarily in other parts of the world.

"There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. The only solution is a negotiated political solution," she said, calling for "great determination" in pursuing negotiations between the warring sides.

A government meeting led by Prime Minister Enrico Letta on Monday concluded that the Syrian regime had reached "a point of no return" but stressed any international response must be decided multilaterally.

The West has ramped up the rhetoric following reports of a deadly chemical attack outside Damascus on August 21, which it blames on Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.