EU Council President Herman van Rompuy and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso have spoken out against military intervention in Syria.
German chancellor Angela Merkel said that in spite of diminishing expectations for a peaceful solution of the conflict in Syria, she would pursue efforts for a settlement at the G20 summit in Russia
“While we respect recent calls for action, we need to move forward the UN process,” van Rompuy said at the start of the G20 summit.
With Barroso at his side, he added that the international community cannot remain idle after the Aug. 21 chemical attack outside Damascus in order to prevent “a dreadful precedent’’.
But he called on the UN to release the preliminary report of its inspectors as soon as possible.
Van Rompuy said that there is “a range of evidence” that point to a responsibility of the Syrian government.
The EU is working on a collective response that would be “very much on the lines of what I have said,” he added.
“Even if there is nearly no hope,” Merkel said at an event in Giessen, Germany, “one must always keep trying – at least that’s how I see my role.”
Her comments came as her defence secretary, Thomas de Maiziere, said it was clear that troops loyal to the government of Bashar al-Assad had used poisonous gas against civilians.
“There has been a series of highly plausible evidence that, in my opinion, allows for no more doubt,” De Maiziere told the broadcaster MDR Info.
“Everything that I hear indicates that it was an attack by the regime, and Mr Assad carries the responsibility for it.”
De Maiziere said it was important to wait for the report from UN experts, so that the global public is informed “not only by western intelligence services, but also by UN inspectors who enjoy a high level of credibility.”
