Unilateral US strike on Syria unacceptable: Russia
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich says any unilateral US military action against Syria would be in contravention of the international law even if such action was limited.
"Any unilateral military sanction bypassing the UN Security Council, no matter how 'limited' it is, will be a direct violation of the international law," Lukashevich said in a statement late on Friday.
He was reacting to comments made by US President Barack Obama about the possibility of a "limited, narrow act" on Syria over the accusation that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons.
"These threats are unacceptable" and "undermine the possibility to solve the conflict in Syria by political and diplomatic means, [and will] bring about a new round of confrontation and casualties," Lukashevich added.
"Threats of striking Syria are being issued instead of implementing the decisions of the G8 summit in Lough Erne [and] subsequent agreements to provide the UN Security Council with a comprehensive evaluation by UN experts, who investigate the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria," the spokesman said.
The rhetoric of war against Syria primarily intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
