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Top EU officials warned on Thursday against a military strike in Syria in response to
an alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government inAugust.
As world leaders gathered for the 2-day G20 Summit in St.Petersburg, European Council
President Herman Van Rompuy, backed by Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso, said that military
action would not help resolve the crisis. 'Only a political solution' could end the
bloodshed. The European Union believes that efforts should
be developed towards a political solution for the conflict and the European Union is
indeed providing relief. Van Rompuy also urged the international community
and European countries to work with the United Nations in agreeing what actions should be
taken against the Syrian regime. US president Barack Obama has said the US
is ready to kick off military intervention in Syria, with the support of France.
We have to wait, the American Congress has still to decide but we emphasize collectively
the importance of the UN process and that is why we are asking urgently that the UN
inspectors deliver an interim report as soon as possible. This clarification can be very
helpful for the upcoming days and weeks.
The size of the Syrian refugee crisis continues to grow as the UN says it needs over 3 billion
euros more to deal with the number of displaced people, which has now reached two million,
half of them children.
Meanwhile, Syria will also feature high on the agenda of the upcoming EU foreign ministers
meeting in Vilnius on Friday and Saturday. US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected
to join the meeting and push for tougher action against al-Assad.