Responses

EU

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said a decision about military invention in Syria hasn't been made yet and the support of the UN Security Council for any such action remains "extremely important".

Ashton told reporters in Estonia's capital Tallinn on Monday that the world "needs to find a political solution" for Syria's bloodshed.

She said it is difficult for the EU, with its 28 members, to reach a joint conclusion, but the bloc is considering "various options".

Germany

Germany on Monday said it would support "consequences" against the Syrian government if its suspected deadly use of chemical weapons is confirmed.

"The use of chemical weapons of mass destruction would be a crime against civilization," Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told a Berlin conference of German ambassadors.

"If their use is confirmed, the world community would have to act. Then Germany would be among those who would support consequences.

He did not specify what the consequences would be and said Berlin was in close communication with the UN and allies.

Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country would join any international coalition in case of a possible intervention in neighboring Syria if the UN Security Council fails to reach a wider consensus on the issue, Milliyet reported on Monday.

Davutoglu was quoted as saying that Turkey would await the results of ongoing UN investigations into the alleged attacks in Damascus before making any further decisions.

"We always prioritize acting together with the international community, with UN decisions. (But) if the UN Security Council fails to make a decision, then other alternatives, which have been discussed nowadays, would come onto the agenda," Davutoglu said.

"Currently 36-37 countries are discussing these alternatives. If a coalition is formed against Syria in this process, Turkey would take its place in this coalition," he said.

US

The United States will only take action on Syria in concert with the international community and with legal justification in response to alleged chemical weapons attacks in Damascus, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Monday.

Hagel, speaking on a trip to Indonesia, declined to discuss US military options under consideration by the White House, or to say whether he thought a military response was likely.

"The United States is looking at all options regarding the situation in Syria. We're working with our allies and the international community," Hagel told a news conference in Jakarta.

"We are analyzing the intelligence. And we will get the facts. And if there is any action taken, it will be in concert with the international community and within the framework of legal justification."

Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Western nations calling for military action against Syria have no proof that the Syrian government is behind the alleged chemical weapons attack.

Lavrov said in a televised news conference on Monday that the countries calling for action "cannot provide evidence" of the chemical weapons attack, and have assumed the role of "both investigators and the UN Security Council" in probing the incident.

Lavrov blamed the Syrian opposition for manipulating reports of the attack in order to derail a peace conference on Syria.

Iran

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed countries outside the Middle East on Monday for the region's turmoil. The Shiite cleric said regional states backing radical Sunni Islamists would be damaged by conflict.

Khamenei, the most powerful man in Iran, made the comments in a meeting with Oman's Sultan Qaboos who was in Teheran on a visit that Iranian media said may be an effort to mediate between the US and Iran.

"The main reason behind the status quo in the region is interference from outside the region," the Fars News Agency quoted Khamenei as saying in a meeting with Qaboos.

Reuters-AFP-Xinhua-AP

(China Daily 08/27/2013 page12)