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Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, pledged his support to the U.S., UK and French-led airstrikes, calling it an "unfortunate but necessary" action in an interview in Peru today.
At meeting w/ U.S. Vice President Pence in Lima, PM Trudeau reiterates support for "unfortunate but necessary" U.S.–U.K.–French actions in Syria.
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) April 14, 2018
Pence says Cdn support "much appreciated & welcomed"; says action has "degraded & crippled the chemical weapons capability of Syria" pic.twitter.com/yZj8xhcrZp
Last night, Trudeau issued a statement: "Canada supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people.
"We will continue to work with our international partners to further investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Those responsible must be brought to justice."
While he has not promised any military action, he is pledging his support to the U.S.-led attack.
The Organisation for the Prohibitions of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) arrived in Damascus, Syria today and are on a Fact-Finding Mission to determine if chemical weapons were used in last Saturday's attack in Duoma, Syria.
🔴 BREAKING: #OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) team has arrived in Damascus, #Syria to commence its work.
— OPCW (@OPCW) April 14, 2018
The OPCW has been working closely with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security to help safely execute the Fact-Finding Mission.
Founded in 2014, the purpose of the OPCW Fact Finding Mission is "to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic."
The OPCW will not release information about an on-going investigation.
In 2013, the OPCW received the Nobel Prize for Peace, as its eliminated more than 96% of all chemical weapon stockpiles.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Russia called an Emergency Meeting of the UN Security Council. Roughly 193 representatives from different countries met to discuss the recent airstrike on Syria, led by the U.S., UK and France.
Many country ambassadors referred to the UN Charter and the importance of sticking to its emphasis on the preservation of peace and security, as the Syrian crisis has lasted more than seven years, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says President Trump told her if the Syrian Government uses toxic gas again, the "United States is locked and loaded," ready to strike agian.
Our #Syria strategy has not changed, however, the Syrian regime’s actions have forced us to take action based on their repeated use of chemical weapons. Chemical weapons are a threat to us all. - @USUN Ambassador Nikki Haley pic.twitter.com/JKrDIPy4bG
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 14, 2018
In today's UN meeting, the ambassador for Ethiopia called for "Maximum restraint and an exercise of wisdom," adding that "truth is becoming very difficult to establish."
This morning, the British Ministry of Defence reported that last night, the Royal Airforce Tornados launched Storm Shadow missiles at a regime chemical weapons facility 15 miles west of Homs, Syria.
RAF Tornados launched Storm Shadow missiles at a regime chemical weapons facility fifteen miles west of Homs, Syria. See images and video here: https://t.co/uSI3loV6Q0 pic.twitter.com/Rd85WLScSR
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 14, 2018
The Syrian ambassador spoke during the UN Emergency Meeting saying that "the Cold War is back."
He criticized the U.S. for its 'my way or the highway' philosophy, adding that's what led to the Cold War.
"The Syrian people will not allow any foreign intervention to define our future," he said.
He also called on the U.S., France and Britain to read the UN charter, offering he has copies in English and French if needed.
A meeting will be held in Damascus today regarding the OPCW's Fact-Finding Mission and the Syrian ambassador pledged that his government would provide every support to this delegation.
Watch the Security Council meeting on the Middle East that happened this morning at UN headquarters in New York City here:
.@UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East - Threats to International Peace and Security to discuss the situation in #Syria
— UN Web TV (@UNWebTV) April 14, 2018
📹 Watch: https://t.co/O5TT97aBtu
(Feature Photo Credit: Getty Images; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump meeting to discuss NAFTA in October 2017).
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