US should not rush to launch military action on Syria: Haley

UNITED NATIONS: US Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Friday there should be no rush to launch military action on Syria, but that "at one point you have to do something."

"You don’t rush decisions like this," Haley told reporters, adding that if there is haste "you make a mistake." Haley spoke ahead of a Security Council meeting called by Russia to discuss the threat of US-led military action in Syria. President Donald Trump is analysing all the information and taking measures to avoid any unwanted repercussions, she said.

"We have to know that there is proof and we have to know that we are taking every precaution necessary should we take action," she said. Separate analysis by the United States, France and Britain have concluded that a chemical attack took place on Saturday in the rebel-held town of Douma, said Haley.

The United States is consulting with Britain and France about a joint military response to the attack in Douma that medics and rescuers said left at least 40 people dead on Saturday. Meanwhile, The UN Security Council is currently holding an emergency session on Syria at Russia’s request.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres said at the session that the worsening situation in the Middle East is threatening international peace and security. Guterres also said that Syrians have suffered from random attacks, displacement, torture and relentless bombing for over seven years and that the world is watching. He continued by saying that international law has been systematically violated in Syria and that he feels angry at reports of chemical weapons use in the country.

Russia's ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that US threats to use force in Syria is in violation of international law. He added that Washington seems determined to take military action in Syria and this is dangerous. He went on to say that the alleged chemical attack in Douma is just an American pretext and he blamed the Syrian opposition, not the Assad regime, for it. US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the use of chemical weapons in Syria threatens world peace and that Russia is responsible. She also said that no country should use chemical weapons and go unpunished. Haley also said that Russia used its veto power to protect the Assad regime and prevented the punishment of those who use chemical weapons in Syria. The Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations Francois Delattre said that the Assad regime is using chemical weapons to attack its opponents in a pre-determined way. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during a telephone call against any "dangerous actions" in Syria, the Kremlin said.

"The most important thing is to refrain from ill-considered and dangerous actions that would constitute a gross violation of the UN Charter and would have unpredictable consequences," the office of the president said in a statement after the call.

Macron on Thursday said he had "proof" the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons on the former rebel outpost of Douma and would announce his response "in due course". "Vladimir Putin emphasised the advisability of conducting a thorough and objective investigation, until the completion of which it is not advised to voice any accusations against anyone," the Kremlin statement said.

Moscow has repeatedly claimed the chemical attack was staged by rebels to provoke further intervention in the conflict by the West.