Arab League urges UN-backed action in Syria
Foreign ministers seek "necessary deterrent measures" against Syrian regime in line with international law.
Al Jazeera, 01 Sep 2013 21:03

Arab League foreign ministers have urged the international community and the United Nations to take "deterrent" action against the Syrian regime over its alleged use of chemical weapons.

"The United Nations and the international community are called upon to assume their responsibilities in line with the UN Charter and international law by taking the necessary deterrent measures", the ministers said in a statement on Sunday following a meeting in Cairo.

It said that the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad was "responsible" for the August 21 attack. [....]

The foreign ministers also said those responsible for the attack should face trial, as other "war criminals" have done.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia and the Syrian opposition pleaded with League members to back a US military strike on the regime.

However, some influential members of the League, including Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria, have expressed opposition to foreign military intervention.

Egypt's foreign minister on Sunday said that his nation objected to "any aggression in Syria"[....]

also see:

Arab League Endorses International Action
By David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times, Sept. 1/2, 2013

CAIRO — The Arab League on Sunday urged international action against the Syrian government to deter what it called the “ugly crime” of using chemical weapons. It was a major step toward supporting Western military strikes but short of the explicit endorsement that the United States and some Persian Gulf allies had hoped for.

The League moved beyond the more cautious stance it took just a few days ago, when it asked the United Nations Security Council to overcome its internal differences on the Syrian conflict — an outcome that was extremely unlikely given Russia’s strong support for Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad.

This time, the League called for the United Nations and “the international community” at large to exercise their responsibilities under international law “to take the necessary measures” against the Syrian government. But aside from calling for trials of the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks, the resolution — adopted at a meeting in Cairo late Sunday night — did not specify what kind of international measures might be needed or justified.

Obama administration officials considered the statement a step forward because it opened the door to action outside the Security Council. But many in the region said the ambiguity was the latest manifestation of Washington’s diminishing influence [.....]

NATO chief convinced Syrian government behind chemical attack
Reuters, Sept. 2, 2013

Brussels - NATO's secretary-general said on Monday he had seen evidence convincing him Syrian authorities were behind a deadly chemical weapons attack and said it would send a "dangerous signal to dictators" if the world did not respond firmly.

However, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it was up to individual NATO countries to decide how they would respond to the attack and he did not envisage any NATO role beyond existing plans to defend NATO member Turkey, which borders Syria.

"I have been presented with concrete information and, without going into details, I can tell you that personally I am convinced, not only that a chemical attack has taken place ..., but I am also convinced that the Syrian regime is responsible," Rasmussen told a news conference [....]

On Obama’s Plan, a Message Emerges in Israel: Stay Quiet
By Jodi Rudoren and Isabel Kershner, New York Times, September 1/2, 2013

[....] Israel’s ministers of defense and international affairs, who spoke out repeatedly last week, stayed silent on Sunday. Another member of Israel’s security cabinet canceled a news briefing scheduled for Monday, citing the delicate situation. Mr. Netanyahu himself issued a brief, bland statement saying Israel was “calm,” “self-assured” and “prepared for any scenario” before moving on to innocuous matters like wishing the world’s Jews a “good and blessed year.”

Behind closed doors, Mr. Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that the situation was “evolving,” with “delicate matters” that he was managing “with discretion and responsibility,” and warned: “There is no room for private statements.”

“I ask that you not act without consideration and irresponsibly toward our ally in order to capture a moment of glory,” Mr. Netanyahu said, according to someone who was there and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “These statements do not serve the citizens of Israel.”

Israel has a great deal at stake in the American debate. Beyond the threats by Syria and its allies that they would retaliate against Israel for an American strike, Israel is gravely concerned about America’s waning influence in the Middle East. Israel sees Syria as a test case for Mr. Obama’s credibility in enforcing “red lines,” given his promise to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

At the same time, Israel has a powerful American lobby with bipartisan strength that could be uniquely positioned to help the White House shore up support in Congress.

Yet there were no outward signs on Sunday that Israel would attempt to influence the outcome, and numerous experts on the Israel-American relationship said it would be deeply dangerous to try. [....]

India Rejects Military Action
By Ellen Barry, The Lede @ nytimes.com, Sept. 3, 2013

NEW DELHI — In India, a country that remained vigorously pro-American throughout the Bush presidency, the bilateral relationship remains strong and Mr. Obama is fairly popular, but not on the question of Syria.

The government came out Tuesday with a statement rejecting military action in Syria, and has held back from assigning blame for use of chemical weapons late last month. India’s Foreign Ministry complained to the British government after Prime Minister David Cameron, in a speech, mistakenly named India as one of the countries that had concluded that Mr. Assad was responsible.

Some weariness toward the United States may be due to India’s domestic woes [....]