Screeshot from of unidentified missile being fired in Syria
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced last week that Poland will not be taking part in any military action in Syria, though Minister Sikorski said on Monday night that he has told US secretary of state John Kerry that, “Poland does not have the capability [to take part in a military strike] but understands the situation”.
As President Obama tries to win support from Congress for a military strike, Minister Sikorski said in an interview with the TVP public broadcaster: “ In my judgement a chemical attack occurred, most likely by the Assad regime. The use of weapons of mass destruction against civilians, their own citizens, is unacceptable”.
“The use of chemical weapons in the twenty-first century sets a very dangerous precedent,” Sikorski said, adding that, "President Obama's decision to give more time to convince the US Congress gives a chance for Russia and China to change their positions.”
Beijing and Moscow have opposed any military action in Syria but Poland's head of diplomacy called on Russia to change its stance on the issue.
“The Syrian arsenal is something for which Russia, as the successor of the Soviet Union, shares responsibility,” Sikorski said of the long-time allies.
US secretary of state John Kerry will meet with EU foreign ministers in Vilnius, Lithuania at the weekend to discuss the issue and try to increase support for punitive action against President Assad's regime, which has denied using chemical weapons against insurgents and civilians.
The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has said in an invitation letter to foreign ministers that Kerry's attendance in Vilnius, "will be a valuable opportunity to exchange views with him on key issues."
MPs in the United Kingdom voted against participating in any 'coalition of willing' for strikes against the Syrian regime last week and Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic have said they will also not be involved.
France, which refused to be part of the US's coalition in Iraq, has given staunch support, however, though President François Hollande came under pressure on Monday to get the green light from lawmakers for the action.
The Assemblée Nationale, the lower house of the French parliament, will debate the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime on Wednesday, though no vote is planned.
UN inspectors have returned from Damascus to analyse samples taken at the site of the alleged attack near the Syrian capital, which John Kerry has claimed killed one and a half thousand people, including many children.
The UN inspectors say results of their inspections could take up to three weeks before they are released. (pg)