EU Blames Assad for Attack, Urges Wait for U.N. Report

{{The European Union blamed the Syrian government on Saturday for an August 21 chemical weapons attack in Syria but urged waiting for a report from U.N. weapons inspectors before any U.S.-led military response.}}

The carefully worded message from foreign ministers of 28 EU governments stopped short of endorsing possible U.S. and French military action against Syria ahead of the report, which France’s president said could come by the end of the week.

While their statement allowed France to claim victory in its push to get the EU to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government responsible for the attack in which more than 1,400 may have been killed, it also made clear the bloc wants the United Nations to play some role in deciding how to respond.

Many EU governments have expressed reservations about using military force to punish Assad, now fighting a 2-1/2-year battle against rebels in which more than 100,000 people have died.

Germany, where one opinion poll last Thursday showed 70 percent of people are against the United States bombing Syria, and other nations have opposed taking action before U.N. inspectors can present their findings.

Public debate has intensified in the United States and in Europe during the week since U.S. President Barack Obama said he believed Washington should launch targeted air strikes on Syria to deter Assad, and others, from using chemical weapons but he would ask Congress for the authority to do so.

Obama made that decision after the British parliament voted against Britain taking part in a strike and U.S. opinion polls showed significant opposition to one, suggesting that he would be somewhat isolated if he ordered military action on his own.

{agencies}