French President: 'Airstrikes on Syria do not solve anything but protect honor'

"The airstrike will not solve anything, but it will end the situation we have become accustomed to, where the right side becomes the weak side. Three countries have intervened and I really think it is an act to protect the honor of the international community,"AFPquoted French President Emmanuel Macron's statement today before the European Parliament (EP).

The US, UK and France launched 105 cruise missiles at facilities in Syria on the morning of April 14 in response to the country's alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians in the city of Douma, a suburb of the capital Damascus, killing about 70 people earlier this month. Russia, Syria and Iran condemned the US action, but a draft resolution condemning the attack presented by Russia to the UN Security Council was rejected.

In his speech to the EP, Mr. Macron affirmed that the coalition acted to protect world order, and accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of "waging war on his own people." The Elysee Palace chief declared that the airstrike was carried out within a legal and multilateral framework, aiming to destroy three chemical weapons production and storage areas, and causing no human casualties.

The French President's statement came after the French government expressed concern that evidence of the chemical attack in Douma might disappear.Washington accused Moscow and Damascus of possibly falsifying evidence on the ground.Russia denied the accusations, saying that the US and coalition airstrikes on Syria were the cause of the delay in the investigation.Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Tu Quynh