Russia welcomes British parliament rejection of Syria military strike

Russia on Friday welcomed the British parliament’s rejection of military action against the Syrian regime and warned that such an attack without UN approval would deal a major blow to the existing world order.

President Vladimir Putin’s chief foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said the British vote showed growing public understanding of the dangers of an attack against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“This reflects the opinion of the majority of British and Europeans,” Ushakov told reporters.

“It seems to me that people are starting to understand how dangerous such scenarios are,” he said,

He added that military strikes on Syria without UN Security Council approval would damage the existing world order which is based around the Council where Russia has permanent membership.

“Such actions bypassing the UN Security Council — if they take place of course — will inflict huge damage to the system based on the central role of the UN,” Ushakov said.

“They will deal a serious blow to the entire system of world order. And it is unlikely the situation in Syria itself and the Middle East will become more stable and calmer,” he added.

Ushakov also complained Washington has not shared its intelligence that according to the United States implicates Assad’s regime in an alleged chemical attack outside Damascus which activists say killed hundreds.

“They (US officials) are referring to the classified nature of the information. So someone apparently believes it but we — not having this information — we do not believe it,” he added.