President François Hollande’s commitment to join the US in taking military action against Syria has come under bitter attack from France’s mainstream opposition party, which accuses him of isolating the country and making it hostage to the US Congress, reports The Financial Times.
In an often bad-tempered parliamentary debate on Syria, the leader of the centre-right UMP’s parliamentary group said Mr Hollande’s willingness to take part in a strike on Syria without UN authorisation amounted to a “fundamental change of doctrine” for France that put in danger its influence on the world stage.
“France is alone today, isolated as it has never been before,” declared Christian Jacob in the National Assembly. “As a great country, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France should not be in the role of having to wait with its arms folded for a vote in the American Congress.”
Mr Hollande’s position was compromised first by the UK’s decision last week to stay out of any military reprisal for the alleged chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime in Damascus last month and then by President Barack Obama’s move to seek prior congressional approval, expected next week.
With public opinion shown by polls to be against French involvement, political pressure has mounted on Mr Hollande, whose stance is at odds with France’s position in 2003, when it was strongly critical of the US, UK and other states that joined the Washington-led invasion of Iraq without securing full UN approval.
Mr Jacob said the UMP would not support military action in Syria unless a report by UN weapons inspectors produced proof of the use of chemical arms by the Syrian regime and it was backed by a security council resolution.
“Everything in Syria – as in Iraq 10 years ago – requires that France must wait for international legitimacy. Nothing justifies such a drastic change in our diplomatic and military policy,” he said.
Opening the debate, Jean-Marc Ayrault, the prime minister, reiterated the government’s backing for “firm, proportional and targeted” action.
Jean-Yves le Drian, the defence minister, said “a strike to stop the escalation of violence” would aim to penalise the use of chemical weapons and deter the regime from using them again.
Read more of this report from The Financial Times.