Boris Johnson: UK Should Consider ’Military Options’ in Syria
Local Editor
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told a committee of MPs the UK should be looking again at military options in Syria, ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers in London this Sunday.
Speaking before the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament on Thursday, Johnson said negotiations with Russia over the future of the Syrian crisis have "run out of road" and that the west should now consider engaging in more "kinetic action."
The Foreign Secretary said he envisions a future for Syria without President Bashar Assad and referred to the Saudi-backed coalition of militant groups, known as the ‘High Negotiation Committee' [HNC], as embodying "progressive" values.
During the hearing, Johnson made the strongest indication yet that Britain and its allies are considering a military intervention in the Syrian crisis.
"On Sunday I'm calling a meeting of fellow foreign ministers... to discuss how we're going to proceed, not just in Syria, but in Iraq as well. Obviously it's good that things are happening again in Geneva, but most people feel the process of discussion with the Russians has basically run out of road," he said.
"On Sunday we'll be talking about all the options we think are available to us and the West."
"Most people, I think, are now changing their minds about [intervention]. They're thinking we can't let this go on forever... Whether that means we can get a coalition together for more kinetic action now, I cannot prophesize. Certainly people want to see a new set of options."
He added that such military options are still "a long day's march" away and would be dependent on the US.
The Foreign Secretary referred to a Sky Data survey published on Thursday which indicates 46 percent of the British public support military intervention in Syria and 53 percent think the UK has a responsibility to protect Syrians.
Some 37 percent polled did not support military action, while 17 percent expressed no preference.
Johnson expressed regret for the British Parliament voting against military intervention in Syria in 2013, describing it as a "big step backwards."
While Johnson told MPs the UK must continue to be "very, very tough" with Russia, he said it is wrong to compare the present situation to a new Cold War and explained that London does not want "endless confrontation" with Moscow.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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