Merkel Raises Possibility of Military Response in Syria
- Chancellor says Germany cannot ignore use of chemical weapons
- Political solution to conflict remains preferred position
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Chancellor Angela Merkel offered implicit support for military action against Syria, upbraiding her coalition partner for ruling out German participation in a response to an offensive in the country’s last rebel stronghold.
Merkel’s Social Democratic coalition partner this week rejected a German role in any military strike should President Bashar al-Assad and his backers create a humanitarian crisis in Idlib or deploy chemical weapons. Under the constitution, any German deployment requires a vote of approval by parliament.