Cameron Forced to Concede That Vote on Syria Military Action Should Await UN Chemical Weapons Report _ Mail Online

8/14/2019 Cameron Forced to Concede That Vote on Syria Military Action Should Await UN Chemical Weapons Report _ Mail

1/18

show ad

Cameron forced to put Syria airstr ike on hold:PM concedes vote on military action should

await UN chemical weapons report

Parliament has been recalled today to consider response to Syria atrocity

MPs to be asked to agree principle that military action may be justi fied

Protesters demonstrate near Downing St against Western intervention

By Jason Grovesand Mark Duell

PUBLISHED: 20:16 GMT, 28 August 2013 | UPDATED: 23:34 GMT, 28 August 2013

949 shares

445

Viewcomments


2/18

Important discussions: Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled Parliament for today

David Cameron was forced to delay plans for immediate military strikes on Syria last night after beingwarned he faced losing a Commons vote.

The Prime Minister battled desperately to get a consensus for a missile attack, but was forced by EdMiliband and Tory rebels to allow UN inspectors time to report on last weeks chemical weapons atrocity.

MPs will vote tonight on a hastily prepared motion which still supports the principle of military action.

However, it will not now be carried out until every effort has been made to secure a UN agreement, andeven then, direct British involvement would require a second Commons vote.

The decision to wait for a second vote is a humiliating setback for Mr Cameron who had privately promisedBarack Obama that Britain would stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States.

British officials had to phone their counterparts in the US last night to explain that President Obama wouldhave to go it alone or wait to see if Mr Cameron can persuade MPs to back him in the coming days. MrCameron had little choice, because losing a Commons vote could have triggered his own downfall.

On another day of dramatic developments:

The Government produced an Iraq-style dossier for all MPs to set out their case for intervention;Theresa May and Philip Hammond were among four members of the Cabinet rumoured to beharbouring grave doubts about the rush to war;Party whips were scrambling to get MPs home from abroad for tonights vote;

Scroll down for v ideo


3/18

Talks: Mr Cameron chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at Downing Street

before the recall

Demonstration: Activists block W hitehall near the junction with Downing Street du ring an

event or ganised by Stop the War Coalition t o protest against potential UK involvement in

the Syrian conflict


4/18

Listening: Protesters hear from Diane Abbot MP at a Stop the War Coalition

demonstration at Downing Street

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the West to give peace a chance, saying inspectors inSyria needed more time;Tory grandee David Davis joined Conservative rebels opposed to an attack, who now numberdozens;

Polls suggested that the public were overwhelmingly opposed to military strikes.

Downing Street reacted angrily to the dramatic U-turn by Mr Miliband, who had initially indicated support forintervention.

A senior source said: Labour has been playing politics when they should have been thinking about thenational interest.

'Their position has changed consistently over the last 24 hours, finally ending in demands they had not evenhinted at before.

UN convoy tours sites of alleged gas attacks in Syria


5/18

Lending her support: Diane Abbott MP (left) attends an event organised by Stop the War

Coalition to protest against potential UK involvement in t he Syrian conflict in Whit ehall,

London. Another protester is seen (r ight)


6/18

'Hands off': People take part in a protest organised by the Stop the War coalition calling

for no military attack

U.N. calls chemical weapons use 'violation of international law'

Government sources last night said Mr Cameron was still determined to get approval for a retaliatory strikeon Syria within days.

'Labour has been playing polit ics when they should have been think ing about the

national interest'

Downing Street source

A second Commons vote is likely to be held early next week, and could even come as soon as tomorrowor Saturday.

Mr Cameron will now rush out an Iraq-style intelligence dossier on Syria this morning in a desperate bid topersuade his own MPs and Labour that Assads use of chemical weapons must be met with a show offorce from the West.

Last night it was unclear whether the United States will press ahead with plans for a missile bombardment

this weekend or pause its assault to see if Mr Cameron can deliver British support.


7/18

Watching on: Police stand guard out side Downing Street during an event organised by

Stop the War Coalition to protest against pot ential UK involvement in the Syrian conflict

in London

Opinion: A woman holds a placard as she takes part in a protest organised by the Stop

the War coalition calling for no military attack on Syria from the US, Brit ain or France,

outside the entrance of Downing Street


8/18

UK's Hague: World can't stand by on Syria

Taking a shot: An opposition fighter fires an rocket propelled grenade during clashes

with regime forces over the str ategic area of Khanasser, situated on the only road linking

Aleppo t o cent ral Syria

Mr Milibands decision to withdraw support for immediate attacks on Syria dealt a major blow to the PrimeMinister as he prepared to deliver the speech of his life.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT

If MPs have the slightest suspicion that attacking Syria will cause more suffering than it can possiblyprevent they have a fundamental moral duty to vote No. Read more

Just before 6pm the Labour leader, who has dithered for days over the issue, said he would order hisdivided party to vote against immediate action, to allow the United Nations more time to consider evidenceabout the atrocity.

Within an hour the Government had issued its own Parliamentary motion saying it would not act until the UNSecurity Council had had time to consider the report of the weapons inspectors.

A Government source said Mr Miliband had barely mentioned the UN when he held talks with Mr Cameronand Nick Clegg in Downing Street on Tuesday.

Q&A: WOULD A MILITARY STRIKE ON SYRIA BE LEGAL?

Would bombing Syria be lawful?

Britain and the US insist it would be, but the truth is far f rom clear. Its hard to see how Syrias reportedchemical attacks against its own citizens present a direct threat to either country.


9/18

What specific laws or UN conventions might be used as justification?

The UN Charter allows for military action on only two grounds in self-defence, or if action is approved bythe UN Security Council. Neither applies here.

Russia has made clear its intention to veto any proposed Security Council resolution authorising action as has China.

Can a military strike be legal w ithout a UN resolution?

Unclear. In 1999, the Nato bombing campaign against Serbia was launched without one, with Tony Blair andPresident Clinton seeking to justify it on humanitarian grounds to protect Kosovan civilians.

The intervention was widely welcomed, but its legality was questionable. A similar humanitarian argument isbeing used to defend intervention in Syria.

If President Assad is proved to have launched poison gas attacks on his own people, he will be in breach ofthe Geneva Gas Protocol, an international agreement dating back to 1925 to which Syria is a signatory

banning the use of chemical weapons.But breaching the protocol doesnt provide a clear justification for military action and it normally applies tointernational conflicts, rather than civil wars.

Does the UN have a Responsibility to Protect the Syrians?

In 2005, following the hideous atrocities committed in Rwanda and Bosnia in the 1990s, the UN broughtforward an initiative called the Responsibility to Protect.

It was designed to protect the innocent from genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing and places a duty

on individual states to prevent such horrors within their borders, and an obligation to intervene if they see itelsewhere.

But former UN assistant Secretary-General, Francesc Vendrell, says the doctrine does not necessarilyjustify the use of force.

All diplomatic efforts must have been tried first, and even then military intervention requires the backing ofthe Security Council taking David Cameron and President Obama back to square one.

Does the PM need Parliamentary backing for a bombing campaign?

Technically, no. He retains the power, under Royal Prerogative, to use military force without Parliamentaryapproval.

However, all recent major military interventions including the wars in Iraq and Libya have beenpreceded by a Commons vote. The Government has made clear it will respect the outcome of tonights.


10/18

Warzone: Free Syrian Army fighters run to take cover fr om snipers loyal to President

Assad near Aleppo airport

Wreckage: Syrians walk in a heavily damaged street in the country's eastern town of Deir

Ezzor


11/18

Response: United Nations chemical weapons experts wearing gas masks carry samples

from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons att ack in the Ain Tarmaneighbourhood of Damascus

Rallying: The local Syrian community protests against US involvement in Syria, in

Allentown, Pennsylvania


12/18

He then phoned the Prime Minister on Tuesday night to say he needed a UN moment before he could act prompting Britain to table a UN Security Council resolution yesterday despite the certain knowledge itwould be blocked by Russia.

He then visited Downing Street again yesterday to demand that the inspectors be allowed to report, eventhough they have not been asked to rule on whether Assad was responsible for last weeks atrocity.

With dozens of Tories also warning they were yet to be convinced by the case for an attack, Mr Cameronwas facing the prospect of a potential Commons defeat and had no choice but to give way.

A Downing Street spokesman said the new Commons motion reflects the Prime Ministers respect for theUN process something he made clear to President Obama several days ago.

THE COMMONS MOTION IN FULL: AWASH WITH CONDITIONS AND CAVEATS

The 370-word motion agrees that military action may be necessary and would be legally sound. But its

awash with conditions, caveats and turgid language.

IT SAYS:

This House:

'Deplores the use of chemical weapons in Syria on 21 August 2013 by the Assad regime, which causedhundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries of Syrian civilians;

'Recalls the importance of upholding the worldwide prohibition on the use of chemical weapons underinternational law;

'Agrees that a strong humanitarian response is required from the international community and that this may,if necessary, require military action that is legal, proportionate and focused on saving lives by preventingand deterring further use of Syrias chemical weapons;

'Notes the failure of the United Nations Security Council over the last two years to take united action inresponse to the Syrian crisis;

'Notes that the use of chemical weapons is a war crime under customary law and a crime against humanity and that the principle of humanitarian intervention provides a sound legal basis for taking action;

'Notes the wide international support for such a response, including the statement from the Arab League on27 August which calls on the international community, represented in the United Nations Security Council, to"overcome internal disagreements and take action against those who committed this crime, for which theSyrian regime is responsible";

'Believes, in spite of the difficulties at the United Nations, that a United Nations process must be followedas far as possible to ensure the maximum legitimacy for any such action;

'Therefore welcomes the work of the United Nations investigating team currently in Damascus.

'Whilst noting that the teams mandate is to confirm whether chemical weapons were used and not toapportion blame, agrees that the United Nations Secretary General should ensure a briefing to the UnitedNations Security Council immediately upon the completion of the teams initial mission;

'Believes that the United Nations Security Council must have the opportunity immediately to consider that


13/18


14/18


15/18

Is Assad now using NAPALM on his own people? Pictures reveal...

Missile strikes may lead to terror attacks on UK, warn...

London's last 100k property? Grotty Brixton flat goes on...

'You claim to be foodies but you started your meal with a...

Cash machine thief gets his comeuppance - and he tells his...

Bullied girl found dead fayer telling of tomboy jibes online

'Get well fast - we all love ya!': Notorious prisoner...

4x4 fans look away now! Land Rovers imported to U.S. are...


16/18

EuroMillions winner walked round with golden ticket in her...

From Atlanta strip joints to Miley Cyrus and the English...

What is the truth about the nerve gas massacre... Revenge of...

Comments (445)

NewestOldestBest ratedWorst rated

View all

Why do I have a feeling the US and UK wi ll go it alone even without UN backing and regardless of possible lack of any concreteevidence (it didn't stop them in Iraq after all).... Just don't forget who the power behind Assad's throne is, fancy taking on Russiain a war do we, chaps?

- martin, cheshire, 29/8/2013 02:23

Click to rate Rating 76

Report abuse

OH the US is sooo concerned about some people being gassed -don't make us laugh they don't give a damn they are only aftertheir own influence and power -they have killed hundreds of thousands in the last few years including many children but theywant us to believe they are really "caring". So caring in fact that they don't bother about all the people (kids included) beingdisabled and killed by their illegal use of DU -depleted uranium shells all over Iraq.

- GGB1945, KORAT THAILAND, Thailand, 29/8/2013 02:23


Report abuse

What does this have to do with the UK please?

- Tickled Pink, Lancs, 29/8/2013 02:19


Report abuse

Petrodollar is not a word that most people are aware of . Why not ? It has been the biggest cause of the US and its poodle tointerfere in foreign countries . If you don't understand world politics then you are not asking the right questions .

- Lord Vader, The Death Star, 29/8/2013 02:18



17/18


18/18

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

Associated Newspapers Ltd

Cameron Forced to Concede That Vote on Syria Military Action Should Await UN Chemical Weapons Report _ Mail Online

Documents