Canada’s foreign affairs minister says it is unclear whether Canada will play a role in a military intervention in Syria, but fully supports Western allies that may launch a strike in the coming days.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has previously stated that Canada would only support a political response to atrocities in Syria, including the suspected use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad’s military.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has previously stated that Canada would only support a political response to atrocities in Syria, including the suspected use of chemical weapons by President Bashar al-Assad’s military.
But Baird has been increasingly open to military intervention as the tenor in Syria worsens. On Thursday, he expressed tempered willingness to take an active role in military intervention.
“We will let decisions be made before we even know whether we will have the capacity to contribute militarily,” Baird told reporters.
A NATO source told the Canadian Press on Thursday that Canada's role in Syria would be largely symbolic. It is believed the U.S.-led action would consist of a short air campaign focused on launching cruise missiles on key military targets.
Considering any strike would occur without the consent of the UN, however, Canada's political support would be meaningful in building a consensus for Western intervention.
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By Baird's own admission there is little Canada can offer to such as strike aside from vocal support.
Christian Leuprecht, associate professor of political science at the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen’s University, told Yahoo! Canada News that there were little to no Canadian assets in the region that could be used in a strike on Syria.
The HMCS Toronto is currently posted in the Arabian Sea and could be repositioned to support American ships in the region.
“Offering up a frigate in the Arabian Sea, as we currently have, is one frigate less that the Americans have to put in the Arabian Sea, which means that is one frigate more they can deploy in the Mediterranean,” Leuprecht said this week.
“The Americans always like to have the Canadians play because the Americans can work very easily with Canadians. You can put in a Canadian frigate and it can integrate seamlessly.”
Another potential role for Canada is in offering technical support or providing military assistance elsewhere in order to free up U.S. assets for use in Syria.
CTV News similarly reports that, with a potential strike just days away, it would take too long to move more Canadian assets to the region.
Correspondent Mercedes Stephenson reports that sources close to the Canadian Air Force say it is "anxious" to participate, whether that be with fighter jets or simply transporting U.S. troops and equipment – similar to the support role it played in France's intervention in Mali earlier this year.
SOURCE : YAHOO.COM
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