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Middle East and North Africa

Sweden hopes for diplomatic solution of Syrian conflict

The Swedish premier said it was also very important that observers and experts staying in Syria should be able to work and inform the UN of the results

STOCKHOLM, August 28 (Itar-Tass) - Sweden hopes for a diplomatic solution of the Syrian situation, Fredric Reinfeldt, the prime minister of Sweden, said on Wednesday.

Regarding the possibility of Sweden’s participation in a military operation in Syria, he has said in an interview with the TT news agency that, going by experience, the military answer is an easy thing but does not always lead to the needed results. He said Sweden had not yet been asked about that and he did not want to speculate on how Sweden would act if the US decided to conduct the operation without the UN mandate.

The Swedish premier said solutions to such situations should first of all be sought by political and diplomatic means. He said it was also very important that observers and experts staying in Syria should be able to work and inform the UN of the results.

“Then the possible response within the UN framework can be discussed. Of course, the world must show its abhorrence to the use of such weapons [chemical weapons]. But, we believe, this should be done in the UN framework, and it is necessary to give time for that,” he said.

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