BRUSSELS, Belgium: The head of NATO expressed his support for Western strikes in Syria on Saturday after bombings targeting Bashar Assad’s regime in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack.
“I support the actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France... This will reduce the regime’s ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus early Saturday, as US President Donald Trump announced the punitive strikes in a joint operation with France and Britain.
They come a week after a suspected deadly gas attack on the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma that left dozens dead.
Stoltenberg said the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons was “a clear breach of international norms and agreements.”
“NATO considers the use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security, and believes that it is essential to protect the Chemical Weapons Convention,” the statement added.
“This calls for a collective and effective response by the international community.”
NATO chief ‘supports’ Syria strikes: statement
NATO chief ‘supports’ Syria strikes: statement
- “NATO considers the use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security"
- Use of chemical weapons was “a clear breach of international norms and agreements”
South Korea calls for resuming dialogue with North
- President Lee Jae Myung has sought to mend ties with the nuclear-armed North since taking office in June
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul
SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on Sunday for dialogue with North Korea to resume, after Pyongyang last week shunned the prospect of diplomacy with its neighbor.
Since taking office in June, a dovish Lee has sought to mend ties with the nuclear-armed North, which reaffirmed its anti-Seoul approach during a party meeting last week.
“As my administration has repeatedly made clear, we respect the North’s system and will neither engage in any type of hostile acts, nor pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Lee said in a speech marking the anniversary of a historical campaign against Japan’s colonial rule.
“We will also continue our efforts to resume dialogue with the North,” he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, describing its overtures as “clumsy, deceptive farce and a poor work.”
Speaking at the party congress in Pyongyang, Kim said North Korea has “absolutely no business dealing with South Korea, its most hostile entity, and will permanently exclude South Korea from the category of compatriots.”
But he also said the North could “get along well” with the United States if Washington acknowledges its nuclear status.
Speculation has mounted over whether US President Donald Trump will seek a meeting with Kim during planned travels to China.
Last year, Trump said he was “100 percent” open to a meeting.
Previous Trump-Kim summits during the US president’s first term fell apart after the pair failed to agree over sanctions relief — and what nuclear concessions North Korea might make in return.
