Washington warned Syria it would face action over the claimed "moral obscenity" of a gruesome chemical weapons attack, as UN inspectors braved sniper fire to gather evidence about the incident.
Washington warned Syria it would face action over the claimed "moral obscenity" of a gruesome chemical weapons attack, as UN inspectors braved sniper fire to gather evidence about the incident.
A very sudden drumbeat toward some kind of US and/or allied retaliation against Syria seemed to be getting louder.
The US cancelled a meeting with Russia on the Syrian conflict that had been scheduled for this week in The Hague, the State Department said.
Speaking amid reports that Washington and its allies are preparing to launch a punitive cruise missile strike on Syrian targets, US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Damascus of engaging in a cover-up.
“Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity," Kerry declared in a televised statement.
“By any standard it is inexcusable, and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable.”
Kerry said Washington would provide more evidence of who was behind the attack, and that Obama was determined the guilty would face consequences.
“We have additional information about this attack, and that information is being compiled and reviewed together with our partners, and we will provide that information in the days ahead," he warned.
Kerry was speaking as UN inspectors met survivors of last week's attack, which the independent medical agency “Doctors Without Borders” has said left at least 355 people dead from "neurotoxic symptoms".
However, the Syrian regime had denied its responsibility of the attack.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia meanwhile had told British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday that there was no proof Damascus had used chemical weapons, according to Cameron's office.
In the same context, senior military officers from Western and Arab countries started gathering in Jordan Monday to discuss the regional impact of the war in Syria, Jordanian officials said.
US Army Chief General Martin Dempsey will take part, as would chiefs of staff from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, said an official, cited by state news agency Petra.
A senior Israeli delegation also visited the White House for high-level talks on the Syrian crisis and the showdown over Iran's nuclear program.
