President Barack Obama will decide on a response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria based on American interests, but Washington will continue to consult with Britain after its parliament rejected a proposal to support military action, the White House announced.
The British Parliament rejected Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal by a vote of 285 to 272, which would have granted preliminary approval for action subject to another vote, marking a failure of Obama’s efforts to build a coalition for action in Syria.
Cameron stated after the vote that he would not go against the will of Parliament and approve such action.
Officials from the Obama administration informed lawmakers during a conference call yesterday that they have no doubt that chemical weapons were used in Syria and that they were used by the government of President Bashar al-Assad, said Congressman Eliot Engel, who participated in the conference, to Reuters.
Senior officials cited evidence including communications from high-ranking Syrian officials and stated that they had seen personnel moving around Damascus, indicating that they were prepared for something significant like a chemical attack, Engel, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest hinted before the British Parliament vote that the United States might act alone.
When the president decides on an appropriate response and legal justification is needed to support such a decision, we will make it ourselves, Earnest said.
The White House emphasized that any action would be very separate and limited and in no way comparable to the Iraq war.
