Saudi Arabia came out in support of U.S. strikes over the weekend as Secretary of State John Kerry told the international community Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons “at least 11 times or so.”
The weekend included meetings in Paris and meetings with British counterparts, as well as Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
According to the Boston Globe, Kerry was speaking in Paris when he said, “This is not fantasyland, this is not conjecture. Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons at least 11 times or so, according to our best judgments, with clarity now in this evidence we have presented to the world.”
The Saudis now join France in supporting U.S. strikes, although they have not said whether that will include actually taking part in the planned strikes.
Kerry dismissed the lack of Congressional support for strikes and spoke of continued pressure being put on individual lawmakers: “The vast majority of members of Congress, House and Senate, are undecided. And that’s why… the briefings are taking place.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
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