French President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron confessed in an interview that joint strikes conducted by France, Britain and the United States targeted Turkey’s relations with Russia.
“With those strikes we have separated the Russians and the Turks on this. The Turks condemned the chemical weapons,” Macron said in an interview broadcasted by BFM TV, RMC radio and Mediapart online news.
France, Britain and the U.S. launched over 100 missiles early on Saturday targeting what they said were three chemical weapons facilities in Syria in response to a suspected poison gas attack in Eastern Ghouta’s Douma on April 7 that killed at least 78 people.
Turkey does not stand with or against any country on Syria and its policy in the region is different from that of Iran, Russia and the United States, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said on Monday.The comments by Bozdağ, the government spokesman, were in response to a reporter's question about an earlier remark from French President Emmanuel Macron, who said Turkey's support of missile strikes against Syria showed it had "separated" from Russia.The United States, Britain and France fired more than 100 missiles at Syria on Friday in a "one-time shot" the Pentagon said followed evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for a chemical weapons attack using at least chlorine gas."Turkey's Syria policy isn't to stand with or against any country. There is no change to the policy Turkey has been carrying out," Bozdağ told reporters in Qatar.Macron: With those strikes we have separated the Russians and the Turks"We do not have a united policy with the United States on the YPG issue, and Turkey's stance has not changed. We are also against the unconditional support for the (Syrian) regime and we are at odds with Iran and Russia on this," he said.While Turkey is cooperating with both Russia and Iran to wind down some of the violence in Syria, Ankara has long demanded that President Bashar al-Assad must go and has backed rebels against him. Assad's main supporters are Moscow and Tehran.Turkey has also been at loggerheads with Washington over U.S. support for the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.Turkey supported the air strikes by U.S., British and French forces, saying the move sent a message to Assad.Bozdağ said Turkey did not hesitate to work together with any country who defended "correct principles" on Syria.After Syria strikes, Britain's May to face critical parliamentWhite House: Trump wants US forces in Syria to come home as quickly as possibleFrance convinced US to ‘stay in Syria’: Macron
Turkey says not siding with anyone on Syria, policy different from Iran, Russia, US
France has convinced U.S. President Donald Trump to "stay in Syria long-term" and to limit this weekend's strikes to chemical weapons sites, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.On Saturday, France in coordination with the U.S. and the U.K. conducted a series of military strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad after it accused the latter of being responsible for the chemical weapons attack on Douma, Eastern Ghouta on April 7th."Ten days ago, Donald Trump said that the United States had a vocation to disengage and we convinced him that we had to stay in the long term, we also convinced him to limit strikes to chemical facilities," Macron said during a two-hour interview to French media outlets RMC, BFMTV and Mediapart to mark his 1st year in office.Macron said the strikes were legal and an act to implement international resolutions and enforce international law and not to declare war on Syrian regime."France, like its allies, did not declare war on the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, we only worked to ensure that international law […] Security Council resolutions, do not remain dead letters.""Our allies had evidence that chemical weapons had been used, and we had proof that these weapons could be attributed to the Syrian regime, which led us to conduct this intervention," Macron added.The French leader accused Russia of "systematically building" the international community's inability to implement 2013 deal on Syria's chemical weapons and said Moscow is an "accomplice" of Syrian regime.He said that in order to find a lasting solution in Syria, "we need to talk with Iran, Russia and Turkey."US troops not leaving Syria until goals accomplished: HaleyRussia says will make every effort to improve ties with WestTrump defends use of 'mission accomplished' phrase for Syria strike
France convinced US to ‘stay in Syria’: Macron
Macron said that the strikes were “perfectly carried out,” adding “All of our missiles reached their target.”
The French president stated that Russia, which is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s staunchest allies, was complicit in the Syrian government's actions.
"Of course they [Russia] are complicit. They have not used chlorine themselves, but they have methodically built the international community's inability to act through diplomatic channels to stop the use of chemical weapons," Macron said of Moscow.
Turkey does not stand with or against any country on Syria and its policy in the region is different from that of Iran, Russia and the United States, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said on Monday.The comments by Bozdağ, the government spokesman, were in response to a reporter's question about an earlier remark from French President Emmanuel Macron, who said Turkey's support of missile strikes against Syria showed it had "separated" from Russia.The United States, Britain and France fired more than 100 missiles at Syria on Friday in a "one-time shot" the Pentagon said followed evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for a chemical weapons attack using at least chlorine gas."Turkey's Syria policy isn't to stand with or against any country. There is no change to the policy Turkey has been carrying out," Bozdağ told reporters in Qatar.Macron: With those strikes we have separated the Russians and the Turks"We do not have a united policy with the United States on the YPG issue, and Turkey's stance has not changed. We are also against the unconditional support for the (Syrian) regime and we are at odds with Iran and Russia on this," he said.While Turkey is cooperating with both Russia and Iran to wind down some of the violence in Syria, Ankara has long demanded that President Bashar al-Assad must go and has backed rebels against him. Assad's main supporters are Moscow and Tehran.Turkey has also been at loggerheads with Washington over U.S. support for the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.Turkey supported the air strikes by U.S., British and French forces, saying the move sent a message to Assad.Bozdağ said Turkey did not hesitate to work together with any country who defended "correct principles" on Syria.After Syria strikes, Britain's May to face critical parliamentWhite House: Trump wants US forces in Syria to come home as quickly as possibleFrance convinced US to ‘stay in Syria’: Macron
Turkey says not siding with anyone on Syria, policy different from Iran, Russia, US
He added that he had convinced U.S. President Donald Trump to keep troops in Syria for the long term.
“Ten days ago, President Trump was saying ‘the United States should withdraw from Syria’. We convinced him it was necessary to stay. We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term,” Macron said.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN on Sunday laid out three American goals in Syria in the wake of U.S.-led airstrikes targeting the Assad regime. “First of all the president made it very clear we cannot have chemical weapons usage anywhere, and we will continue to combat that in any way we need to protect American interests,” Nikki Haley told CBS News' “Face the Nation.”“Secondly, we want to make sure that they understand that ISIS [Daesh] has to be defeated completely and wholly in a way that we know that we have stabilized the region. And then thirdly we want to make sure that the influence of Iran doesn't take over the area.” The U.S. is not looking for war, said Haley.“That's the last thing the president wanted was war. We were not looking to kill people. That was not something that in our American values we would want to do. "We wanted to send a strong message that they needed to stop the chemical weapons program,” she added.Video: US military releases video of missile strikes into SyriaSanctions on RussiaHalley also announced U.S. plans to impose new sanctions on Russia over Syria, in addition to existing ones over Ukraine and meddling in U.S. elections. U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin “will be announcing those on Monday if he hasn't already, and they will go directly to any sort of companies that were dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons use.” The U.S., U.K., and France early Saturday launched airstrikes on reported Assad regime chemical weapons facilities in Syria. The strikes followed the Assad regime allegedly carrying out a chemical attack in Douma, Syria which killed 78 civilians and injured hundreds of others.France convinced US to ‘stay in Syria’: Macron
America has three goals in Syria: US' Haley
British Prime Minister Theresa May will face criticism on Monday for bypassing parliament to join weekend air strikes against Syria, with some lawmakers calling for a potentially damaging vote on her future strategy.May, who has regained confidence after winning support for her tough stance on Syria and Russia, will make a statement to parliament on her decision to join the United States and France in Saturday's strikes in retaliation for a suspected gas attack.She will repeat Saturday's assertion that Britain was "confident in our own assessment that the Syrian regime was highly likely responsible" and that it could not wait "to alleviate further humanitarian suffering caused by chemical weapons attacks", according to excerpts of her speech.But she will be grilled over why she broke with a convention to seek parliamentary approval for the action, a decision that she and her ministers say was driven by the need to act quickly.Much of the criticism will come from opposition lawmakers, but the prime minister may also have to work hard to defend her speed of action to members of her own Conservative Party who had wanted parliament recalled.Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, has questioned the legal basis for Britain's involvement."She could have recalled parliament last week ... or she could have delayed until tomorrow, when parliament returns," Corbyn, a veteran peace campaigner, said on Sunday."I think what we need in this country is something more robust, like a War Powers Act, so governments do get held to account by parliament for what they do in our name," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.Britain has said there are no plans for future strikes against Syria, but foreign minister Boris Johnson warned President Bashar al-Assad that all options would be considered if chemical weapons were used against Syrians again.FRAGILECorbyn's drive for legislation to limit the government's power to launch future military action may win support in parliament, where some Conservatives have expressed fear of fuelling an escalation in Syria.Despite winning international backing, May, who has weathered questions over her leadership due to Brexit and party scandals, has a precarious position in parliament after losing the Conservatives' majority in an ill-judged election in June.She now relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party, which has supported the action in Syria, and has tried to dodge votes that might not go her way.Her predecessor, David Cameron, lost a vote on air strikes against Assad's forces in 2013, with many in Britain wary of entering another conflict, especially after an inquiry concluded that then-prime minister Tony Blair's decision to join the 2003 U.S.-led war against Iraq was based on flawed intelligence.It was not clear whether Labour or other opposition parties would be able to force an emergency debate after May's statement, or whether the speaker in the House of Commons would grant what one party source called a "meaningful vote".But in a sign that the government fears it could lose, one lawmaker said on condition of anonymity that the party's whips, charged with maintaining voting discipline, had made clear that Conservatives should vote with the government.May will also apply for an emergency debate to give lawmakers "an extended opportunity to discuss the military action", her office said, in what could be an attempt to draw the sting out of any opposition motion for the same.James Cleverly, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said even if May had recalled parliament, she could not have presented lawmakers with the full range of intelligence because of its sensitivity."I think it is absolutely appropriate that the prime minister and the cabinet made this decision," he told Sky News."She will be coming to the House of Commons where she will be questioned by members of parliament, scrutinising her role as prime minister, and that is the appropriate relationship between government, on the one hand, and parliament, on the other."
After Syria strikes, Britain's May to face critical parliament
Senior British academics are spreading pro-Assad propaganda that the chemical weapons attacks were fake, a report published by The Times revealed.The academics are part of an organization -- Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM) -- and allegedly hold posts at top universities in Edinburgh, Sheffield and Leicester.Members of SPM have also claimed that previous chemical weapons attacks, including the one that took place last week, were fake and staged by the Syrian civilian defense group, White Helmets, in order for the west to attack the Assad regime.Tim Hayward, a SPM member who is professor at the University of Edinburgh, took to Twitter where he retweeted a statement claiming: “#WhiteHelmets terrorist factions staged false flag events kidnapped, drugged children to use as props in events, kids were buried w/out parents present.”Hayward also runs a blog in which he has published articles that claim the attacks are routinely staged by the opposition supported by the west.The report also mentions another SPM academic Tara McCormack, who is a lecturer at Leicester University. She claimed on her Twitter account that it is “an established fact a) the White Helmets are basically Al Q[aeda]”.The Violations Documentation Centre (VDC), a research group based in Syria that documents violations of international law, believes that Bashar al-Assad regime forces are responsible for the chemical attack on April 7 that killed over 75 people and injured hundreds more.“The Violations Documentation Center (VDC) suspects that this attack was deliberated to inflict as much possible damage on civilians. The Syrian government effectively made it very difficult for the resident population to reach ambulances and rescue teams, forced residents to seek shelter from heavy barrel bomb attacks, and then carried out airstrikes suspected to have contained poisonous gas,” the organization said in a report released after the attack.On April 14, the U.K. in coordination with the U.S. and France conducted a series of military strikes against the regime of Bashar al-Assad after it accused the latter of being responsible for the chemical weapons attack on Douma, Eastern Ghouta on April 7th.
Assad apologists work in UK universities: Report
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hasan Rouhani on Sunday spoke over the phone and discussed the U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria, the Kremlin said.According to a statement issued by the Kremlin, the two leaders agreed that the airstrikes have “seriously damaged” the prospects of political settlement in Syria."Putin stressed that if such actions, carried out in violation of the UN Charter, will continue, this will inevitably lead to the chaos in the international relations", the statement added.On Saturday, the U.S., U.K., and France launched airstrikes on the Assad regime's alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria.The strikes came after the Assad regime was accused of carrying out a chemical attack in Syria's Douma, which killed 78 civilians and injured hundreds of others.Putin and Rouhani also discussed the prevailing situation in the Middle East, including that in Yemen, the statement said.France convinced US to ‘stay in Syria’: Macron
Putin, Rouhani discuss US-led airstrikes on Syria