Theresa May temporise avant d’envisager des frappes en Syrie sans vote au Parlement

/theresa-may-temporise-avant-d-envisager

  • Theresa May temporise avant d’envisager des frappes en Syrie sans vote au Parlement
    http://www.lemonde.fr/syrie/article/2018/04/11/theresa-may-temporise-avant-d-envisager-des-frappes-en-syrie-sans-vote-au-pa

    Downing Street l’assure : Theresa May est prête à s’engager en Syrie, même sans attendre un éventuel accord du Parlement. La première ministre britannique, lors de conversations téléphoniques, mardi 10 avril, s’est mise d’accord avec les présidents américain et français sur « la nécessité pour la communauté internationale d’une réponse » aux attaques en Syrie « afin de faire respecter l’interdiction mondiale de l’usage des armes chimiques », détaille un communiqué officiel.

    Les avions Tornado sont prêts à décoller de la base militaire britannique d’Akrotiri (sud de Chypre). Mais Mme May, souvent raillée pour son caractère #excessivement_méthodique et sa lenteur à décider, semble prendre son temps pour réunir les arguments dont elle pourrait avoir besoin si elle se heurtait à des critiques parlementaires. Le communiqué de Downing Street évoque prudemment les « informations à confirmer » faisant état d’une attaque à l’arme chimique à Douma, près de Damas.

    Si même Mme May n’est pas (encore…) convaincue par les preuves… qu’on ne lui a visiblement pas (encore…) présentées, c’est bien à cause de sa pusillanimité bien connue (chicken !, en anglais).

    • Vu par les Britanniques :

      Syria decision looms for May - BBC News
      http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-43724946

      But some do say the PM is taking her time. On one level, they say this is just her character, to be cautious and methodical, to play it by the book. She wants to work out what is in the UK national interest, to understand what other countries want to achieve, to assess all the options and consequences

      And yes, that involves assessing the risk of losing a vote in Parliament on this. The scars of David Cameron’s defeat over proposed military action in Syria in 2013 have not entirely healed. This will matter if any military action is not a one-off but a sustained strategy that envisages air strikes the next time Syria drops chemical weapons and the next.

      Crucially, I am told that Mrs May also wants to make sure that the case against Syria is as comprehensive as possible. She wants as much information as possible about the suspected chemical attack on Douma - above all, so she can say who was responsible.

      She wants to make sure she has her ducks and arguments in a row for the potential political flak she could face. The discussions are similar to those over the Salisbury nerve agent attack, namely that Mrs May wants to be able to stand up in Parliament and say there is “no plausible alternative” to Syria being responsible.

      There was a distinct note of caution in the official Downing Street account of the May/Trump phone call. This spoke of “reports” of Syrian chemical weapons attacks which were evidence of President Assad’s brutality “if confirmed”.

      There are signs that the US and the French are also taking their time. Monsieur Macron seems keen to act but even he spoke yesterday of a decision “within days”. French sources tell me they expect another Macron/Trump call “in the next 48 hours”.

    • Theresa May is warned against joining in on a strike against Syria | Daily Mail Online
      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5601407/Theresa-warned-against-joining-strike-against-Syria-MPs-say.html

      Theresa May resists US rush to bomb Assad without more evidence the Syrian regime is to blame for ’barbaric’ chemical attack on civilians
      • PM last night warned not to press ahead with a strike on Bashar Al Assad’s troops
      • MPs told Theresa May it would be a ’huge mistake’ for her to bow to pressure 
      • Mrs May and Donald Trump vowed to end to chemical weapon attacks in Syria
      • Though the PM indicated she needed more proof of Assad’s involvement first 
      • There is no legal requirement for Mrs May to consult MPs ahead of air strikes