Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, the Syrian speaker of parliament, has sent a letter to the House of Commons, in which he warned that “By attacking and weakening Syrian targets and institutions you would automatically strengthen our common enemy, Al Qaida and its affiliates,” reported Sky News, providing the text of the letter.
Message of the head of Syrian legislative power was received by British MPs ahead of a vote slated for Thursday on the subject of issuing a governmental resolution on Syria. In this document, Damascus is blamed for using chemical weapons; a possible military operation against Syria is mentioned as well.
In his letter, chairman of the People's Council of Syria asks British lawmakers to not be hasty and think before casting votes of support to resolution of David Cameron’s government.
The letter says: “We ask you to stop the rush to reckless action. It is in your power today to turn Great Britain from the war path and back to the diplomatic road. We hope to meet you upon that road, and to talk, as civilised peoples should.”
“This is all the more important since, in reality, we face the same terrorist threat. By attacking and weakening Syrian targets and institutions you would automatically strengthen our common enemy, al-Qaeda and its affiliates,” the letter suggests.
US and allies are currently considering a military strike against Damascus. Earlier this week NATO council failed to reach a decision on the Syrian operation. At the same time, Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen has openly placed the blame for chemical weapon use on Damascus, - something that NATO has not done before. He said that information available from a variety of sources indicates that it is the Syrian regime who is responsible for the attack, emphasizing that using chemical weapons August 21 in Damascus suburbs is a direct violation of international norms and those responsible for it should be held accountable.