Germany breaks silence on Syria, won’t participate in military action

Merkel stressed that “Germany will not take part” in a US-led strike on Syria, noting that “there have not been any decisions yet” for possible military action.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday confirmed that her country would not participate in any military action against the Syrian regime following an alleged chemical attack in eastern Ghouta.

Speaking after her meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Berlin, Merkel stressed that “Germany will not take part” in a US-led strike on Syria, noting that “there have not been any decisions yet” for possible military action.

“But we support everything that is being done to show that the use of chemical weapons is not acceptable,” she added.

Peter Beyer, recently appointed by Merkel’s government as the coordinator for transatlantic relations, echoed the German Chancellor’s remarks in comments carried by Deutsche Welle.

“I think we won’t take an active role [in Syria],” he said, adding that “the stakes are high and dangerous out there.”

“My hope is that before any missile strike, there would be diplomatic talks,” Beyer stated.

He also condemned the attack in eastern Ghouta which killed dozens of people, stressing that the Bashar al-Assad regime, including Russia, have to answer for the attack against innocent civilians.

The poison gas attack was blamed on the Syrian regime—who Russia backs in the ongoing civil war in the country—and has sparked an aggressive response from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France who are all opposed to Assad and Moscow’s support for him.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump warned he would fire missiles at the Syrian base where the chemical weapons were launched while Russia said they would intercept any such attack.