SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, launches Labour's local election campaign at Stretford Sports Village on March 22, 2018 in Stretford, England. (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Denouncing Rush to War, Corbyn Calls for Peace Talks and 'Withdrawal of All Foreign Forces' From Syria
"Further U.K. military intervention in Syria's appalling multi-sided war risks escalating an already devastating conflict."
Apr 13, 2018
With U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly mulling his "options" for a military attack on Syria while continuing to issue belligerent threats on Twitter, U.K. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the Tory government on Friday for "waiting for instructions" from Trump and demanded an immediate resumption of peace talks.
"The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent."
--Jeremy Corbyn, U.K. Labour Leader
"The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent. We must do everything we can, no matter how challenging, to bring that about," Corbyn said in a statement. "The humanitarian priority must be to halt the killing on all sides."
Corbyn's call for negotiations over further military intervention in a conflict that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions comes as the Tory government--led by Prime Minister Theresa May--is keeping the U.K. in line with the U.S. and France "on a steady march" toward attacks on Syria, according to Politico.
In his statement on Friday, Corbyn argued that ramping up the U.K.'s already significant role in Syria would risk "escalating an already devastating conflict."
Read Corbyn's full statement below:
Further U.K. military intervention in Syria's appalling multi-sided war risks escalating an already devastating conflict.
The government appears to be waiting for instructions from President Donald Trump on how to proceed. But the U.S. administration is giving alarmingly contradictory signals.
Even U.S. defense secretary James Mattis has said we "don't have evidence" and warned further military action could "escalate out of control".
Ministers should take their proposals, such as they are, to parliament. And Britain should press for an independent U.N.-led investigation of last weekend's horrific chemical weapons attack so that those responsible can be held to account.
Rather than further military action, what is urgently needed is a coordinated international drive to achieve a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement under U.N. auspices. The humanitarian priority must be to halt the killing on all sides.
The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent. We must do everything we can, no matter how challenging, to bring that about.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
With U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly mulling his "options" for a military attack on Syria while continuing to issue belligerent threats on Twitter, U.K. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the Tory government on Friday for "waiting for instructions" from Trump and demanded an immediate resumption of peace talks.
"The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent."
--Jeremy Corbyn, U.K. Labour Leader
"The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent. We must do everything we can, no matter how challenging, to bring that about," Corbyn said in a statement. "The humanitarian priority must be to halt the killing on all sides."
Corbyn's call for negotiations over further military intervention in a conflict that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions comes as the Tory government--led by Prime Minister Theresa May--is keeping the U.K. in line with the U.S. and France "on a steady march" toward attacks on Syria, according to Politico.
In his statement on Friday, Corbyn argued that ramping up the U.K.'s already significant role in Syria would risk "escalating an already devastating conflict."
Read Corbyn's full statement below:
Further U.K. military intervention in Syria's appalling multi-sided war risks escalating an already devastating conflict.
The government appears to be waiting for instructions from President Donald Trump on how to proceed. But the U.S. administration is giving alarmingly contradictory signals.
Even U.S. defense secretary James Mattis has said we "don't have evidence" and warned further military action could "escalate out of control".
Ministers should take their proposals, such as they are, to parliament. And Britain should press for an independent U.N.-led investigation of last weekend's horrific chemical weapons attack so that those responsible can be held to account.
Rather than further military action, what is urgently needed is a coordinated international drive to achieve a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement under U.N. auspices. The humanitarian priority must be to halt the killing on all sides.
The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent. We must do everything we can, no matter how challenging, to bring that about.
With U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly mulling his "options" for a military attack on Syria while continuing to issue belligerent threats on Twitter, U.K. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the Tory government on Friday for "waiting for instructions" from Trump and demanded an immediate resumption of peace talks.
"The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent."
--Jeremy Corbyn, U.K. Labour Leader
"The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent. We must do everything we can, no matter how challenging, to bring that about," Corbyn said in a statement. "The humanitarian priority must be to halt the killing on all sides."
Corbyn's call for negotiations over further military intervention in a conflict that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions comes as the Tory government--led by Prime Minister Theresa May--is keeping the U.K. in line with the U.S. and France "on a steady march" toward attacks on Syria, according to Politico.
In his statement on Friday, Corbyn argued that ramping up the U.K.'s already significant role in Syria would risk "escalating an already devastating conflict."
Read Corbyn's full statement below:
Further U.K. military intervention in Syria's appalling multi-sided war risks escalating an already devastating conflict.
The government appears to be waiting for instructions from President Donald Trump on how to proceed. But the U.S. administration is giving alarmingly contradictory signals.
Even U.S. defense secretary James Mattis has said we "don't have evidence" and warned further military action could "escalate out of control".
Ministers should take their proposals, such as they are, to parliament. And Britain should press for an independent U.N.-led investigation of last weekend's horrific chemical weapons attack so that those responsible can be held to account.
Rather than further military action, what is urgently needed is a coordinated international drive to achieve a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement under U.N. auspices. The humanitarian priority must be to halt the killing on all sides.
The need to restart genuine negotiations for peace and an inclusive political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including the withdrawal of all foreign forces, could not be more urgent. We must do everything we can, no matter how challenging, to bring that about.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.