Syria: US Senate committee leaders agree a draft resolution supporting military action against Syria

04. 09. 2013

Syria: US Senate committee leaders agree a draft resolution supporting military action against Syria


Leaders of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee have agreed on a draft resolution for the use of military force in Syria, setting a 60-day limit on the intervention.


The document will be put before the full committee for a vote on Wednesday.

 

Secretary of State John Kerry had earlier been making President Obama's case for action.

 

"We all agree there will be no American boots on the ground. The president has made it crystal clear we have no intention of assuming responsibility for Syria's civil war. He is asking for authorisation to degrade and deter Bashar al-Assad's capacity to use chemical weapons."

 

 

If approved, the resolution will be sent to the full Senate next week.

 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon meanwhile has warned a military response could create more turmoil and that it is the job of the Security Council to act.

 

"The use of force is lawful only when in exercise of self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and / or when the Security Council approves such action."

 

President Obama has put his political reputation on the line over next week's Congressional vote on military action, but by the end of Tuesday he had already won the backing from some key US political figures including Republican leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor.

 

Source: Euronews

Syria: US Senate committee leaders agree a draft resolution supporting military action against Syria