Islam Times - US postpones meeting with Russia over Syria

Islam Times - The United States has cancelled a pre-planned meeting with Russian officials to discuss the Syrian crisis as Washington and its allies have ratcheted up their war rhetoric on Damascus.

The US Department of State announced on Monday that a meeting between Undersecretary Wendy Sherman and US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and their Russian counterparts at The Hague was cancelled.

American and Russian officials were to discuss setting up an international conference to find a political resolution to the Syrian crisis. The US says it canceled the meeting due to Washington's ongoing review of the chemical weapons attack in Syria.

“We will work with our Russian counterparts to reschedule the meeting. As we've long made clear - and as the events of August 21 reinforce - it is imperative that we reach a comprehensive and durable political solution to the crisis in Syria,” said a senior State Department official.

On August 21, Syria’s foreign-backed opposition claimed that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on militant strongholds.

The Syrian government and the army categorically rejected the allegation, saying the militants had carried out the attack.

US President Barack Obama met with his national security team at the White House early on Saturday to discuss reports of the chemical attack in Syria and elaborate on a response.

On Sunday, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon has prepared “options for all contingencies” in Syria and is ready to use force if President Obama gives the green-light.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that Damascus allowed the UN team of chemical weapons inspectors to investigate the site of the alleged chemical attack.

However, Obama administration officials dismissed the Syrian offer as too late while Secretary of State John Kerry accused the Syrian government on Monday of using chemical weapons against civilians.

Washington’s recent war rhetoric on Syria comes as a new poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos has found that about 60 percent of Americans believe the US should not get militarily involved in the Syrian conflict, as opposed to only nine percent who said Washington should act.