Add Category
Updated
Syria's Government has stonewalled calls for an international inquiry into a chemical weapons attack that killed scores of people, as the US considers taking military action against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Key points:
- Donald Trump says attack was 'disgrace to humanity', blames Assad
- The Pentagon is discussing military options such as grounding Syrian aircraft
- Turnbull in talks with Defence Chief but non-committal on Australian role
This morning Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the attack, which killed civilians including women and children in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, "cries out for a strong response" and said he had been in talks with the Chief of the Defence Force.
He was speaking after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told a press briefing that: "Assad's role in the future is uncertain" and US President Donald Trump said "something should happen" with Mr Assad.
"I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity, and I guess [Assad is] running things, so something should happen," Mr Trump said.
While Mr Trump stopped short of calling on Mr Assad to leave office, the comments were his strongest suggestion yet that the United States may be edging toward a stronger stance against the Syrian President, an ally of Iran and Russia, whose country has been torn apart by six years of civil war.
A US official said options being discussed by the Pentagon and White House after the gas attack could include grounding aircraft used by Mr Assad's forces.
Such options would also include the use of cruise missiles, allowing the United States to strike targets without putting piloted aircraft in the skies above Syria.
"With the acts [Assad] has taken, it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people," Mr Tillerson said.
When asked what steps the US was prepared to take to remove Mr Assad from power, Mr Tillerson said the process would be "political" and "would require an international community effort," steps the US Secretary of State added "were underway".
Attack 'cries out for strong response': Turnbull
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the chemical attack as a shocking war crime, but he would not confirm if Australia would join any retaliatory military campaign.
He told Melbourne radio station 3AW he was in close touch with the United States on the issue.
"We have condemned this attack utterly, it cries out for a strong response," he said.
"The American assessment, which is shared by America and her allies is that this was an action by government forces, by Assad government forces.
"Russia obviously is the principal foreign sponsor of the Assad regime."
Mr Turnbull added that Russia had not acted appropriately in response to the attack.
He stopped short of committing Australian forces to any specific military campaign in response, saying there were already dedicated resources in Syria.
"I've spoken only a little while ago with the [Australian] defence minister and the chief of the Defence Force," he added.
"We are already involved in Syria in terms of making airstrikes as part of the anti-Daesh coalition, the anti-ISIL coalition.
"I don't want to speculate any further on that."
Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten said Mr Turnbull was right to strongly condemn the chemical attack.
"You can't gas citizens of your own country — that is a war crime, pure and simple.
"I think it is time for Putin and the Russians to step up and, indeed, any other country which has real influence on Assad — Iran and Russia should certainly be. This is unacceptable, shocking conduct," he said.
Syria: We can handle any investigation
Earlier Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem reiterated his government's strong denial that it was behind the attack on Tuesday in Khan Sheikhoun in the north-western province of Idlib,, adding that any inquiry must not be "politicised" and should be undertaken by Damascus, adding that previous international inquiries into Syria "were not encouraging".
"I stress, once again, that the Syrian Arab Army did not and will not use such weapons even against the terrorists who are targeting our people," Mr Moallem told reporters in Damascus.
When asked whether his country would give access to a fact-finding mission over the use of chemical weapons, Mr Moallem said: "Our experiences with international investigating committees were not encouraging, because they come out of Damascus with certain indications which then change at their headquarters."
Tuesday's attack happened about 100 kilometres from the Turkish border, and the Turkish Government — a close ally of Syrian rebels — set up a decontamination centre at a border crossing in the province of Hatay, where the victims were initially treated before being moved to hospitals.
Turkish officials said almost 60 victims of the attack were brought to Turkey for treatment and three of them died.
It said autopsies of Syrian victims of the assault showed they were subjected to chemical weapons.
Russia, Syria says warplanes bombed poison stockpile
Russia's Defence Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory on the town's eastern outskirts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against apportioning blame for the attack until an investigation had been carried out.
At a press conference in Damascus, Mr Moallem also echoed that claim, saying the Syrian army bombed a warehouse belonging to Al Qaeda's branch in Syria that contained chemical weapons.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with The Associated Press that "unconditional support [for Syria] is not possible in this current world".
In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged for a resumption of Syrian peace talks and said Assad's Government should be prosecuted over its alleged use of chemical weapons.
"These crimes must not remain unpunished … one day, international justice will rule on Assad," Mr Ayrault said.
ABC/wires
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, foreign-affairs, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic, russian-federation, united-states
First posted