Gulf States Join Chorus of Condemnation of Syrian Chemical Warfare

Just after US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint condemnation of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons against his enemies, the Syrian strongman’s neighbors in the Gulf joined the denunciation of the attack. However, the statements issued by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar criticized the use of non-conventional weapons but did not accuse Assad of complicity. The Doha statement, though, left little to the imagination, charging that, “The impunity of war criminals in Syria has led to further atrocities and undermined efforts to achieve justice for the victims.” Meanwhile, neither Washington nor Paris has given any indication of the “strong, joint response” the two leaders promised.