WASHINGTON(TIP): US President Donald Trump cast doubt on Thursday, April 12, over the timing of his threatened strike on Syria in response to a reported poison gas attack, while France said it had proof of Syria’s guilt but needed to gather more information.

Fears of confrontation between Russia and the West have been running high since Trump said a day earlier that missiles “will be coming” after the suspected chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma on April 7, and lambasted Moscow for standing by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!” the US President said in his latest early morning tweet on Thursday, April 12.

Prime Minister Theresa May recalled ministers from their Easter holiday to debate military action over what she has cast as a barbaric poison gas attack in Douma, then rebel-held, just east of the capital Damascus.

May has ordered British submarines to move within missile range of Syria in readiness for strikes against the Syrian military that could begin as early as Thursday night, London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper said on April 11.

The BBC reported that May was ready to give the go-ahead for Britain to take part in military action. She would not seek approval from parliament, the BBC said. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said parliament must be consulted.

Parliament voted down British military action against Assad’s government in 2013 in an embarrassment for May’s predecessor, David Cameron. That then deterred the US. There were signs, though, of a global effort to head off a direct confrontation between Russia and the West. The Kremlin said a crisis communications link with the United States, created to avoid an accidental clash over Syria, was in use.

“The situation in Syria is horrific, the use of chemical weapons is something the world has to prevent,” Britain’s Brexit minister David Davis said, adding, “But also it’s a very, very delicate circumstance and we’ve got to make this judgment on a very careful, very deliberate, very well thought-through basis.” — Agencies

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday “we have proof that chemical weapons were used last week, at least chlorine, and that they were used by the Assad regime”. He said they would decide whether to strike back when all necessary details has been gathered

Macron said during an interview on France’s TF1 television said he was in daily contact with Trump and that they would decide on their response “at a time of our choosing”

Keep US at peace: Carter to Prez

Expressing pride in his own record of peace, former President Jimmy Carter has warned that President Donald Trump should steer clear of any military action involving Syria or other world hot spots and avoid a nuclear attack at all costs

“I pray that he would keep our country at peace and not exaggerate or exacerbate the challenges that come up with North Korea, in Russia or in Syria,” Carter said in an interview on his new book — “Faith: A Journey for All”

A lifelong Democrat, Carter has been critical of Trump, a Republican, on a number of fronts, and he said “a lot of people” have “realized they made a mistake” supporting Trump. Yet Carter made clear that his critique is not about the current occupant of the Oval Office

Moscow to West: Consider consequences of Syria threats seriously      

Moscow on Thursday called on the West to “seriously consider” the consequences of threats against Syria after the US and France said they would respond to an alleged chemical attack

“We call upon… members of the international community to seriously consider the possible consequences of such accusations, threats and especially action (against Syria),” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

“Nobody has authorized Western leaders to take on the role of global police-simultaneously investigator, prosecution, judge and executor,” she said during a press briefing.

(Source-Agencies)