Syria: France steps into void left by Britain
France stepped firmly into Britain's newly vacated role as President Francois Hollande promised to punish the "chemical massacre" by joining a US strike on Syria.
"The chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished," said Mr Hollande. Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA
By David Blair, Beirut
5:51PM BST 30 Aug 2013
Without any need to seek parliament's approval for a military operation, Mr Hollande made clear his readiness to order French forces into action alongside their American allies.
Russia, for its part, moved to maximise Britain's discomfort, saying that the Commons vote showed that London had joined the European mainstream by voicing unease with the "dangerous" course chosen by America.
Mr Hollande made clear that Britain's decision would have no impact on France and that any attack on Syria would go ahead anyway, save that he would be America's principal ally.
"Each country is sovereign to participate or not in an operation. That is valid for Britain as it is for France," he told Le Monde. "France will be part of it. France is ready."
It was an "established fact" that a poison gas attack took place in Damascus last Wednesday, added Mr Hollande, and France possessed "a stack of evidence" to prove the guilt of forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
"The chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished," said Mr Hollande.
The French National Assembly will hold an extraordinary session on Wednesday. Like his American counterpart, the French president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with full powers to order them into action regardless of the views of parliament.
If French forces have already joined a campaign against Syria's regime by the time the National Assembly meets, Mr Hollande promised only to would inform its members. "If I have [already] committed France, the government will inform of the means and objectives."
As for what military assets France might contribute, the country's air force keeps six Rafale jet fighters at a permanent base in the United Arab Emirates. Combat aircraft could reach Syria from mainland France, with the aid of air-to-air refuelling. Mirage and Rafale jets from the French air force are capable of firing Scalp cruise missiles at least 300 miles away from their targets, removing the need to enter Syrian airspace.
Mr Hollande echoed America's words about the objective of any campaign, saying this would be simply to deter the future use of chemical weapons, not topple Mr Assad. "I won't talk of war, but of a sanction for a monstrous violation," he said.
Russia, however, chose to revel in the unlikely spectacle of Britain dropping out of a US-led coalition. Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, said the vote in parliament was a sign that people were "beginning to understand how dangerous such scenarios are," adding: "Russia is actively working to avert a military scenario in Syria."
Aside from France, no European country will join a US military campaign, although Germany has previously voiced support for action. Using language similar to that heard in the British Parliament, however, Emma Bonino, the Italian foreign minister, said: "'Military intervention in Syria without UN Security Council approval is not feasible."
She added: "We should try to avoid making an international drama into a global one. Even a limited intervention runs the risk of becoming unlimited. We must think it over a thousand times."
