NATO excludes role in possible military strikes against Syria

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday ruled out the possibility of NATO's role in possible military strikes against Syria, but he added that the international community should respond to the alleged use of chemical weapons in that country. "No decision has been made yet as how the international community should react. As regards NATO, I don't envisage any further NATO role...It is for individual nations to decide how to react towards what happened in Syria," he said at his monthly press conference in Brussels. "We need a firm international response in order to avoid that chemical attacks taking place in the future. It would send a very dangerous signal...if we stand idly by and don't react," he stressed. Rasmussen said he was convinced by "concrete information" that the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical attacks in a suburb of Damascus on August 21. The Syrian government denied the allegation. "If a response to what has happened in Syria were to be a military operation, I would envisage a very short, measured, targeted operation, and you don't need the NATO command and control system to conduct such a short, measured, tailored, military operation," Rasmussen said. "I don't see a long-term sustainable military solution to the conflicts in Syria. I strongly believe that a firm response to the use of chemical weapons is needed, but speaking about the long-term solution...we need a political process to settle the problems in Syria," he said. The NATO chief said that the alliance would continue to consult each other on Syria and protect its member Turkey. Earlier this year, NATO stationed six Patriot batteries in Turkey to defend it from potential missile attacks from neighbouring Syria. "In the case that Turkey is attacked...definitely allies would gather and consult each other how to respond properly, " Rasmussen said.