The U.S. military strike on a Syrian airbase was “understandable”, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said today, speaking on the sidelines of his Mali trip.
“It was almost unbearable to watch the UN Security Council prove unable to give a clear and unequivocal response to the barbarous use of chemical weapons on innocent people in Syria. It is understandable that the United States has now responded with an attack on the military structures of the Assad regime which were the source of this horrific war crime” he said.
The German Foreign Minister said that the international community was united in shunning toxic gas as a weapon, adding: ” Understandable though the US military strike on military infrastructure was after the failure of the Security Council, it is now crucial to engage in joint efforts for peace under the aegis of the UN…”.
Gabriel said it is now necessary to support the work of the United Nations so that a political solution to the civil war can be achieved
” Only a new and democratic Syria will bring lasting peace. Europe and Germany stand ready to do so. The terrible events of recent days demonstrate that the conflict parties in the region, and the US and Russia, will also be required here.” he concluded.
