EU rejects any military solution to Syria conflict

In the wake of the United States' missile strike on Syria, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has rejected any military solution to the conflict in Syria, saying the bloc is committed to the unity and territorial integrity of the Arab country.

"The EU firmly believes that there can be no military solution to the conflict (in Syria) and is committed to the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian state," the EU official stated on Friday.

Mogherini said EU leaders appreciated Washington drawing a red line on the use of chemical weapons, but she said the bloc favors negotiation as the only means to resolve the conflict in Syria.

US warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired cruise missiles during the early hours of Friday at the Syrian airfield southeast of Homs, from where US President Donald Trump has claimed an alleged chemical weapons attack had been launched on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the northwestern province of Idlib on April 4.

President Trump ordered the airstrike on Shayrat Airfield under the pretext of stopping further chemical attacks from the airbase.

Mogherini said the US “launched a strike on Shayrat Airfield in Syria with the understandable intention to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons."

Mogherini said Washington informed Brussels that the strike was "limited and focused on preventing and deterring further use of chemical weapons."

The Syrian government has categorically denied carrying out a chemical attack in Idlib. Damascus has blamed militant groups for stockpiling chemical arms over the past few years of conflict.

Read more:

• Terrorists stockpile chemical weapons in urban areas: Muallem

Analysis: US strike false-flag operation

Many believe that Washington’s move was a false-flag operation meant to further escalate tensions in the region.

In this regard, Press TV interviewed Shabbir Hassanally, a London-based activist and political commentator.

“This [development] has the potential to turn into a global war,” the commentator said.

Hassanally said the recent accusations of using chemical weapons raised by Trump against the Syrian government are baseless.

“Syria is winning in this war” against the Takfiri terrorists wreaking havoc in the Arab country, he said, adding, “There is no need for [Syrian] President Bashar al-Assad to use chemical weapons.”

Hassanally is among many who believe that the US created the Idlib attack as an excuse to strike Syrian troops, backed by Russia, who are defeating Takfiri terrorists.

“The whole so-called chemical attack in Idlib was nothing more than a farce. It was a false flag operation designed to create the scenario that would allow America to fire its [missiles] into Syria,” he said.

“There is no logic to this. There is no sanity to this. On the one side, they talk about we must stop terrorism and yet all of a sudden they become the air force that is supporting Daesh, that is killing the people and bombing the people who are fighting Daesh,” he said.

“When America makes such a strategic and ignorant move … you have [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Saudi King] Salman coming along and saying, 'Well done Mr. Trump' … this further reinforces the whole idea that the whole so-called chemical attack in Idlib was nothing more than a farce,” he said.

“America … has now become essentially the Daesh air force … to appease and to pledge its allegiance to the Zionist and Saudi lobby,” the commentator said.

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