France Says Syria Strike Possible by Wednesday
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
French President Francois Hollande said a military strike on Syria could come by Wednesday and that Britain's surprise rejection of armed intervention would not affect his government's stand.
"France wants firm and proportionate action against the Damascus regime," he said in an interview to Le Monde daily on Friday. The French parliament is due to meet on Wednesday for an emergency Syria session.
Hollande said the British parliament's rebuff would not influence the course of action Paris would take.
"Each country is free to choose whether to take part in such an operation or not. That holds true for Britain and France," he said.
The French leader, who had vowed to "punish" President Bashar Assad's regime for an alleged chemical weapons attack on August 21, said "there was a body of indicators pointing to the responsibility of the Damascus regime."
"The chemical massacre of Damascus cannot remain unpunished," he said, adding: "I will today have a meaningful exchange with (U.S. President) Barack Obama."
Hollande however ruled out strikes while the U.N. inspectors were in Syria investigating the alleged attack. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has said they were expected to leave Syria by Saturday morning.
The United States, which had warned that Assad would be crossing a "red line" if chemical weapons were used, said it was still seeking an "international coalition" for possible strikes on Syria while reserving the right to act alone.
30 August 2013, 13:14
66
"...there was a body of indicators pointing to the responsibility of the Damascus regime".
Not one piece of which has been publicly revealed. Strange.
30 August 2013, 14:13
67
Everyone of the former colonial powers seems to be wanting to revive their history. One important element they seem to forget & that is the the century we are in ( 21st) ! People are more educated ,more aware with Real Time information through Social Media , so to the so called Western Powers stop your BS , we the people are not buying it . We know what is the real underlying issue is ....Israel & Oil ... The don't mix well !
Signed Wolf !
30 August 2013, 14:13
27
I rule a country and I am its head but fanatics stole my chemical weapons, does that tell you that I should remain the leader meanwhile the water is running under me. This is te same exact story that Israel assisinated all anti-Syrian freedom politicians in Lebanon since 2005. Until when this lying criminal regime should remain. Do I prefer the extremists to replace him. No freaking way but he failed to be a leader the moment he could not get his opponents under control. Whether in Lebanon or syria
30 August 2013, 14:31
37
wow against censorship from naharnet, even though i used far more decent wordings than most comments i see in here! double standards much?
i was hollande is the most ridiculous president france ever had, nobody takes him very seriously, that why it's going to be harder for him to backtrack like all his comrades. the speech he gave the other day almost made him sound like a man, so he's going to need more time (thus the new wednesday deadline, knowing that last week the deadline was yesterday)
30 August 2013, 15:57
21
Dies iræ, dies illa,
Solvet sæclum in favílla,
Teste David cum Sibýlla !
Quantus tremor est futúrus,
quando judex est ventúrus,
cuncta stricte discussúrus !
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
per sepúlcra regiónum,
coget omnes ante thronum.
Mors stupébit et Natúra,
cum resúrget creatúra,
judicánti responsúra.
DIES IRAE (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Dlr90NLDp-0 )
VIVE LE LIBAN, VIVE LA FRANCE.
Monachus - Aedificator - Eques.
30 August 2013, 19:22
11
M11er, if the communication is military leaders or faction of the chemical weapons department panicking over who/where/why/how there was a chemical attack, it needn't necessarily be proof of the regime's use, but simply evidence that they were confused/panicking as to the nature and whereabouts of the attack. Not incriminating until we hear directly they were supervised by top heads and not some rogue commander without proper authorization.
30 August 2013, 19:22
11
And I disagree that it's exclusively the regime that has such a capability. Al-Qaeda has been tinkering with chemical weapons in Iraq for some time now. Just some months ago the Iraqi government foiled a plot to initiate a chemical attack on some Shiite mosque during some Shiite prayer event, with remote controlled toy aeroplanes. Not to mention it's not a real tribulation to fabricate chemical weapons if one has the precursors which I take are more or less easily found in the black market Al-Qaida operates in. --More proof-- is undoubtedly needed to specifically point the finger at the regime.
30 August 2013, 19:27
01
Jarba seems to be, uh, democratic? from yesterday's interview with Marcel Ghanem, but when points of terrorists, Al-Qaida, and dozens of other terrorist groups were mentioned, he was very reluctant in answering directly. The minorities(some 27 of them) are reluctant of the opposition because of that very reason, and I agree with their reasoning given the ample evidence of such atrocities. I don't think any Lebanese is really siding with Bashar, at heart, genuinely, but seeing as how the opposition is made of thousands of wackjob extremists, one can see their hesitance regarding the issue.
31 August 2013, 05:31
00
Exactly M11er; it's going to be very chaotic, and we fear will be caught in the crossfire/confusion/chaos/etc.
I agree though, Lebanon is heading for a bright future in light of events in Syria. Either Al-Assad is weakened, or the opposition takes hold, and if that doesn't work out, the revolution will continue(revolutions are processes/not events). I don't believe Syria will negatively impact Lebanon so long as we have --proper and extensive security and a well trained army--. If we had these two, life would more or less start to be normal and become perfect in truly a paradise, Lebanon, but it's still a long time ahead, we had much to bear still, and I fear politicians won't leave much of what it once was for our children to adorn. All will be clearer once Syria is resolve, even if preliminarily.
30 August 2013, 19:27
01
I am of the belief that weakening the regime to the point that its hands are cut off from Lebanon and is busy dealing with the opposition is the best course of action for us. It'll in that case be killing actual terrorists while rebels recruit more civilians to wage their battles, reinvigorating the opposition as they make gains and terrorists die in the process. I'm extremely disheartened for the civilian population however and don't want to think about prolonging the war.
30 August 2013, 19:47
01
M11er, my brother let them continue to speak. They forgot what Assad regime did to Lebanon. We surely don't wish the same for our brothers in Syria, but the fact is, that the major problem in Lebanon is that the lebanese people have "ALZHEIMER", if you slap them today and you just spit on their face, by tomorrow they will forget and will tell you what a nice kiss you gave us yesterday. So let them keep talking and dreaming.
Wether you like it or not, France is the country that made Lebanon, when you are at school you learn French, in France they don't learn Arabic. You are measuring yourself to FRANCE and at the opposite you are not even able to build a bridge or control your finance.
An advice, once you are able to build a bridge and learn from your past, then you will be able to begin comparing your country and yourself to other cultures.
And yes and yes , MERCI LA FRANCE , MERCI LA FRANCE, MERCI LA FRANCE
Monachus - Aedificator - Eques
31 August 2013, 05:45
00
bigjohn, I don't think it's AIPAC more than it is the military-industrial complex/war industry as you said. Eisenhower warned us a long time ago; do you see how peacelover asks what country the US has invaded(I reckon he reserves the term for unlawful intrusions the unjustified purviews of intervention)? It was this type of influence he was warning us against when discussing the dangers of the MIC.
