WASHINGTON, Aug 30: Noting that it will continue to consult with UK, even after its Parliament voted against military strike in Syria, the White House has said the decision of US President Barack Obama in this regard would be guided by national interest.
“We have seen the result of the Parliament vote in the UK tonight. The US will continue to consult with the UK Government – one of our closest Allies and friends,” Caitlin Hayden spokesperson of the National Security Council, said in the first reaction from the White House after the British Parliament voted against any military strike in Syria.
“As we’ve said, President Obama’s decision-making will be guided by what is in the best interests of the United States.
“He believes that there are core interests at stake for the United States and that countries who violate international norms regarding chemical weapons need to be held accountable,” Hayden said yesterday.
The White House statement came immediately after the British Parliament voted against military action against Syria yesterday.
“It’s clear to me that the British parliament and the British people do not wish to see military action,” the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, said after the vote.
“I get that, and I will act accordingly,” he added, which the US analysts said leaves the US little option but to go alone.
Earlier yesterday, Obama called the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss about the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
“The two leaders agreed that the use of chemical weapons is a serious violation of international norms and pledged to continue to consult closely on potential responses by the international community,” the White House said.
The White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest also said, that Obama’s decision on Syria would be guided by the national security interest.
“The President of the United States is elected with the duty to protect the national security interests of the United States of America. And the decisions that he makes about our foreign policy is with our national security interests front and center,” he said.
“We know they are sitting on a large stockpile of chemical weapons. They have demonstrated a willingness to use it in in violation of clear international norms. The President believes firmly that these international norms are important, and it is not appropriate for totalitarian dictators to flout them with impunity,” he asserted.
“So protecting that international norm is something that the President cares deeply about, but it’s also a norm that other world leaders are very concerned about having been violated,” the White House official said.
“This country (Syria) borders a NATO ally in Turkey.It borders one of our most important partners in the region — Jordan, and it is in close proximity to the nation of Israel, a country whose security we have vowed to protect.
“So there are a number of ways in which the national security interests of the United States are at stake in a pretty big way here,” Earnest said. (PTI)
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