Clear stance: Imran condemns US decision to strike Syria

PTI chief says seeking US Congressional approval is not a source of international legitimisation.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has criticised President Obama’s unilateral decision to attack Syria on suspicion of use of chemical weapons and urged the US to respect international laws in a statement on Monday.

Strongly condemning the US president’s remarks about Syria, PTI chief Imran Khan said, “It is time to respect international laws and the collective security system defined in Chapter VII of the UN Charter, as reasserted by the international community.”

President Barack Obama reportedly made a case for launching a limited military strike against Syria in retaliation for the chemical weapons attack mounted presumably by the regime forces in Damascus last month.

PTI Chairman said that the issue of use of chemical weapons is being investigated by the UN’s inspectors and any action based on the report submitted by these inspectors must be premised on and have sanction of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) under Chapter VII of the Chapter.

“Unilateral military action against a sovereign member state of the UN is against the UN Charter and international law and the powerful cannot be allowed to break these international norms with impunity,” Khan declared adding, “that is the only way to protect the global community from intra-state and inter-state excesses and abuse.”

The PTI chief, however, reiterated that the US president’s decision to seek US Congressional approval for unilateral military action was an internal political issue and not a source of international legitimisation.

“Even in that context, US Secretary of State John Kerry’s declaration that Congressional approval was not required was a reflection of the militaristic policies pursued by the Obama administration during its previous and present tenure in office,” Khan said.

He also pointed out that Pakistan had suffered from this US cavalier militaristic approach in the illegal drone attacks against its citizens.

It’s also pertinent to mention here that members of Congress of both parties in the United States made it clear that the lawmakers will not support the current draft of a resolution authorising President Obama to launch a military strike against Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has accused Syrian government forces of killing 1,429 people in a chemical weapons attack in Damascus last week.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2013.