It's All Gone Quiet Over The Channel.

[anotheoldgit]

How things change, this report was dated 30th August, I wonder what France's position is now?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23897775

/// Mr Hollande said the UK vote, in which parliament rejected a government motion supporting the principle of military action, made no difference to France's position. ///

/// "France will be part of it. France is ready." ///

/// He ruled out strikes while the UN inspectors were in Syria. However he did not rule out the possibility that military action could be taken before next Wednesday, when the French parliament is due to debate the issue. ///

[ToraToraTora]

I hope the French have a full stock of white flags.

[Gromit]

Probably because you are not reading a French News site.

http://www.france24.com/en/20130831-syria-paris-france-unconvinced-over-western-intervention-chemical-weapons

The revelation that there might be air strikes before Wednesday when the the french parliament discuss it, just confirms that Washington has set a timetable (which is why Cameron called a vote when everyone was on holiday).

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

That does not give the French government's spin on things, only the feelings of the Paris Syrians, and it is obvious how they would feel.

[ichkeria]

There won't be any air strikes, or whatever, before September 9 now at the earliest. So some of the heat has gone out of the situation.
Meanwhile Assad has resumed his slaughter of his people and will no doubt intensify the practice of moving civilians into perceived target areas.
I'm glad I'm not in the position the US and French leaders are in, but I wish them well anyway.

M Hollande will now almost certainly have to seek approval from the French Parliament, otherwise he is going to seem like the "odd one out".

[Gromit]

http://www.france24.com/en/20130830-france-hollande-syria-usa-uk-vote-francois



LATEST UPDATE: 30/08/2013  - FRANCE - FRANÇOIS HOLLANDE - SYRIA - UK - USA - WAR
France stands firm on Syria despite shock UK vote

 
 President François Hollande said Friday that the UK parliamentary vote against taking military action in Syria would not affect France’s will to act alongside the United States in “punishing“ Syria for an alleged chemical weapons attack.
 
France has not changed its position on a possible military intervention in Syria, President François Hollande said on Friday, following a vote in Britain’s parliament against the motion.

Hollande told French daily Le Monde in an interview that he supported taking “firm” punitive action in response to a Syrian chemical weapon attack he said had caused “irreparable” harm, adding that he would work closely with France’s allies to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Asked if France could take action without Britain, Hollande replied: “Yes. Each country is sovereign to participate or not in an operation. That is valid for Britain as it is for France.”


Hollande in Le Monde: "The Damascus massacre mustn't go unpunished".
Unlike British Prime Minister David Cameron – who lost a parliamentary vote sanctioning military intervention on Thursday – Hollande could, if he chose, act before a French parliamentary debate set for Wednesday.

[Gromit]

// Mr Obama said he believes the US "will be stronger" if he takes his case to Congress for its nod of approval before taking action.
Congress is not scheduled to return from its summer break until September 9. //

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

Yes all very similar to what is written in my BBC link.

But the question has to be, "what will France do", since Mr Hollande has already stated that France could act before next Wednesday?

[Zeuhl]

As the ex-colonial power, France still feels a connection with the country.

They won't want to leave it all to people who think that Coca Cola is a good aperitif

[FredPuli43]

France plainly won't act before Wednesday, as evidenced by the most recent reports. It remained a possibility if the US acted before then.

[ichkeria]

When did M Hollande say he would act before next Wednesday?
If he said it before President Obama announced he would go to Congress then it means nothing now.
If he said it after that then I'm interested :-)

[Khandro]

Unlike Britain, both the USA and French presidents can 'go to war' without an agreement from their parliaments, however now Obama is to go to Congress will Hollande too? there seems to be a lot of dithering going on.

[Gromit]

The French will follow America's lead and it now looks like that will ve after September 9th.
The French Parliament debates this next Thursday. As France is the ex-colonial power in Syria, they might be more keen to join in. Even if the French Parlament don't, the President can order it anyway.

Germany have already declined the invitation.

[ToraToraTora]

The British PM does not need parliament's backing Khandro.

[DJHawkes]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/typhoons-deploying-to-cyprus

[Khandro]

Tora; //The British PM does not need parliament's backing//
"While the Prime Minister officially retains the Royal Prerogative to declare war, it is clear that this power is now tempered by the convention that Parliament must vote on the matter beforehand."

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/08/syria-vote-was-triumph-parliamentary-sovereignty

[jake-the-peg]

Well Ed Milliband rather cleverly ambushed Cameron on that by getting him to confirm he would not use the Royal prerogative



//Asked by Labour leader Ed Miliband for an assurance that he would not use the royal prerogative to sanction British involvement in the military action, the prime minister told MPs: "I can give that assurance.//


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/cameron-british-attack-syria-mps

[Gromit]

Obama is now a bit of a lame duck President. He might even be relieved if Congress stops it. Other than leave a huge mess for his successor (Like Bush did with Iraq and Afghanistan), it won't really achieve much.

[Gromit]

// The interior minister, Manuel Valls, said yesterday that there was no question of France going it alone in air strikes on Syria if the US Congress voted against. “We need a coalition,” he said.

Opposition figures pointed out that this had put Mr Hollande in the “humiliating” position of having to wait for a US parliamentary vote before sending in the French military while refusing to allow a vote in France. //

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/hollande-comes-under-pressure-to-allow-french-syria-vote-8793790.html

[Khandro]

So it would seem that it was Britain that sold them the chemicals !!http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10279790/Government-allowed-export-of-nerve-gas-chemicals-to-Syria.html

[Khandro]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10279790/Government-allowed-export-of-nerve-gas-chemicals-to-Syria.html