Intervention not right path in Syria: NATO

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Intervention not right path in Syria: NATO

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Foreign military intervention is not the right path in Syria, says NATO chief.

13 June,2012 09:32 am

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussensaid there were no plans at this stage for a NATO operation, as he condemned the UN Security Council failure to reach agreement as a big mistake, saying Russia could have an instrumental role in brokering peace.A foreign military intervention is not the right path in Syria, the NATO chief said in a speech to Australian journalists, calling instead for a political solution.Having said that, I strongly condemn the behaviour of the Syrian security forces and the crackdown on the civilian population.It is absolutely outrageous what we are witnessing and (there is) no doubt that the regime in Syria is responsible for violations of the international law, he added.I strongly urge the Syrian leadership to accommodate the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian poeple and introducefreedom and democracy.Rasmussen, who is on a diplomatic visit to close NATO ally Australia, said he was not sure from a legal point of view whether what was happening in Syria could be considered a civil war, as claimed by UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous.But definitely and very clearly the situation is Syria is very serious, and we have seen horrendous acts conducted by the regime and forces loyal to the regime and I strongly condemn these acts.Activists say some 14,100 people have now been killed in the uprising against the Assad family, which has ruled Syria for some four decades.Rasmussen also had a very clear message for Russia, saying it could play an instrumental role in facilitating a political solution and had a responsibility to wield its influence and live up to (its) international obligations.I strongly regret that the UN Security Council failed to reach an agreement on a legally binding resolution on Syria. I think that failure sends a very unfortunate, not to say dangerous, signal to the Assad regime, he said.