International reactions to the Ghouta chemical attack of 21 August 2013 were widespread. The Ghouta chemical attack was a chemical weapons attack in Damascus, Syria during the Syrian Civil War. United States President Barack Obama said that the U.S. military should strike targets in Syria in retaliation for the government's purported use of chemical weapons—a proposal supported by French President François Hollande but opposed by the Syrian government's closest allies, Iran and Russia. Although the Arab League said it would support military action against Syria in the event of U.N. support, league members Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria opposed intervention. On 14 September the U.S. and Russia announced an agreement on the Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons to destroy the Syria stockpile of chemical weapons and its production facilities, and Syria agreed to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention. The United Nations Security Council also passed Resolution 2118.
Reactions
Supranational bodies Arab League – The Arab League released a statement on 27 August that although it held Syria responsible for chemical attacks on its citizens, it would not support military intervention."Arab League Stance Muddies U.S. Case", The New York Times, Published 27 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013 Union of South American Nations – South American leaders condemned violence and chemical-weapon use in Syria, demanding that the Syrian government allow investigation of opposition allegations of the use of chemical weapons in the attacks. United Nations – The United Kingdom called an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on 21 August. Western nations pushed for a strongly worded resolution which would ask the UN to "urgently take the steps necessary for today's attack to be investigated by the UN mission". Due to objections from Russia and China, the statement was a carefully worded demand for "clarity" about the incident. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the report of chemical attacks "needs to be investigated without delay". When a UN onsite investigation was agreed, a senior U.S. official said: "The belated decision by the regime to grant access to the UN team is too late to be credible ... there is very little doubt at this point that a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime against civilians in this incident". On 26 August inspectors reached some sites (not the six main ones), but after an hour and a half they were ordered by the Syrian government to return due to safety concerns. According to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, when investigators arrived at the affected regions "they faced gunshots and failed to continue their visit, because the armed groups have not agreed among each other on ensuring the team’s security".
States Albania – Outgoing Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Foreign Minister Aldo Bumçi blamed the Syrian government for the attacks, pledging their government's support for any NATO action against Syria. Australia – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said that chemical weapons were apparently used "in large scale against a civilian population" and, as president of the UN Security Council, Australia would push for UN weapons inspectors to be allowed access to the sites where chemical weapons were purportedly used. According to Rudd, although "the burden of proof lies with the Syrian regime" he expressed caution about international action in light of Australian involvement in the Iraq War in the belief that the Iraqi government was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. After speaking with President Obama on 27 August, the prime minister said that the international community had a responsibility to act and compared the crisis in Syria to the Rwandan genocide and the Srebrenica massacre. Austria – In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger called reports of Syrian Army chemical-weapons use "extremely worrying" and said that CW use would constitute a "glaring crime of the Assad regime". Spindelegger called for a UN investigation of the reports. Brazil – Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Patriota called for an independent investigation into allegations of chemical-weapons use, suggesting that international action should wait until the attacks were confirmed. Canada – On 27 August, Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed by telephone with President Obama on a "firm response" to the Syrian government. Foreign Minister John Baird issued a statement demanding that the Syrian government allow UN weapons inspectors to examine the sites. At the 5–6 September G-20 Saint Petersburg summit, Harper said that a military strike against Syria was necessary; on 7 September he urged the international community to take military action against Syria, citing the use of chemical weapons as a dangerous precedent. Chile – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks, demanding that the Syrian government provide UN weapons inspectors access to the areas of reported chemical attacks. China – Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said that China is firmly opposed to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria, affirming that it supports the UN Secretariat in conducting an independent, objective, impartial and professional investigation on the alleged use of chemical weapons in accordance with UN resolutions. According to Lei, China believes that the team would have the full cooperation of the Syrian government to ensure a smooth investigation. His country called on all sides to work together to hold the second Geneva Conference on Syria as soon as possible and launch an inclusive political transition. Colombia – In a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release, the Colombian government expressed its "profound concern due to the recent situations in the Arab Republic of Syria, energetically condemns the killings of innocent civilians, and makes a call to establish a political dialogue to end the violence and the abuse of human rights". Colombian domestic media noted that the government does not support military intervention in Syria, instead expressing its support for United Nations efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict. Colombia expressed "its most vehement rejection towards the use of chemical weapons, regardless of who used them. Its use constitutes to war crimes, therefore we must assume as an international community the responsibility that this crimes do not go unpunished; we reiterate that there are international courts that must take suit in this role". It recognizes "the Mission of Verification of the United Nations, and urges the Security Council to take action according to the results of the mission in order to maintain peace and international security". Ecuador – An unidentified government agency rejected the manipulation of information on the use of chemical weapons to justify military action, supporting the authorization of the UN investigation team to sanction the perpetrators of the reported attack. Egypt – The Egyptian government opposed military intervention in Syria. Interim President Adly Mansour told a US Congressional delegation that Egypt does not support a US-led military attack on Syria, denouncing US insistence on acting "without the approval of the UN Security Council and without commitment to international legitimacy". Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said that Egypt condemned the use of chemical weapons, regardless of who uses them, adding that Egypt rejects foreign military intervention in Syria and political dialogue was the only way out of the crisis. "Egypt rejects military intervention in Syria, as we believe a political solution is the only way out for the crisis there. Egypt supports the Geneva Two talks", Fahmy said at a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference in Cairo. France – France's Foreign Ministry said that although it did not have independent confirmation that an attack took place (as claimed by the opposition), those responsible "will be held accountable". It called for an investigation of the use of chemical weapons in the attacks. France said that the international community should respond to the incident "with force", saying on 25 August it had "no doubt" that Damascus was behind the chemical attacks.AFP on Twitter. Retrieved 25 August 2013 President François Hollande said on 27 August, "France is ready to punish those who took the heinous decision to gas innocents". Germany – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said, "Germany will be among those [countries] that consider it right for there to be consequences". An unidentified government agency condemned the attacks, saying that they "must be punished" if verified. Holy See – Pope Francis noted the "terrible images" from Syria, calling on the international community "to be more sensitive to this tragic situation and make every effort to help the beloved Syrian nation find a solution" to the civil war. UN ambassador Silvano Tomasi urged caution: "What immediate interest would the government in Damascus have in causing such a tragedy? ... Who does this inhuman crime really benefit?" India – India is waiting for a UN investigation to assess the origin of the attack, describing it as a "grave concern. We stress that the international legal norm against the use of chemical weapons anywhere and by anyone must not be breached". Indonesia – Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that the international community "must make sure that perpetrators of such inhumane acts are punished accordingly. If [Syria’s regime] has actually used chemical weapons, it marks the lowest point in the conflict". Iran – President Hassan Rouhani condemned the attack without accusing either the government or the opposition of perpetrating it, saying on his Twitter feed: "Iran gives notice to international community to use all its might to prevent use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world, [especially] in Syria". Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the Syrian government assured Iran that it did not use "such inhumane weapons", and he blamed the attack on the opposition: "The international community must show a serious reaction to the use of chemical weapons by the terrorists in Syria and condemn this move". According to Abbas Araqchi of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Russia submitted proof to the UN Security Council that chemical weapons were used by the opposition and not by the government. On 1 September, former Iranian president Akbar Rafsanjani said that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its own people. Iraq – In the wake of the attacks, an unidentified government agency called for continued UN investigation and opposed further militarization of the conflict. Ireland – The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that Ireland's position on Syria was unchanged, reiterating the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Éamon Gilmore's March 2013 statement that "further militarization of the crisis must be avoided and a political solution found instead." Opposition parties Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin also opposed military action. Israel – According to Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon, the Syrian government has lost control of Syria and is a presence in only forty percent of the country. Describing the civil war as a life-and-death struggle between Alawites and Sunnis, Ya'alon said that there was no end in sight. Minister of Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz said Israeli intelligence assessments indicated that "chemical weapons were used, and they were not used for the first time", adding that "nothing practical, significant, has been done in the last two years in order to stop the continuing massacre of civilians carried out by the Assad regime. I think that the investigation of the United Nations is a joke".