Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that Canada has no plans for a military mission of its own in Syria, although the government supports its allies and has been convinced of the need for "forceful action."

"At the present time the government of Canada has no plans, we have no plans of our own, to have a Canadian military mission," Harper said to media in Toronto.

After speaking to the leaders of Britain, France and the United States, the prime minister is convinced that the risk of chemical weapons being more widely used is too great.

"This is a very big risk and ... we do support our allies who are contemplating forceful action to deal with this," he added.

However, Harper noted that the conflict in Syria is " overwhelmingly sectarian in nature and does not have, at the present, any ideal or obvious outcomes."

On Tuesday, Harper shared U.S. President Barack Obama's view that the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria was carried out by the government.

During their telephone conversation, Harper and Obama agreed that significant use of chemical weapons merits a firm response from the international community in an effective and timely manner.

On Wednesday, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird indicated that Canada wouldn't be able to contribute to the military plans mentioned in media reports.

"There are discussions going on as to the exact nature of what our response could be. I think some have speculated in the media and elsewhere that it could involve cruise missiles or armed drones, neither of which Canada has," he said following a meeting in Montreal with George Sabra, president of the Syrian National Council, which opposes the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Canada has so far resisted any military assistance to the Syrian rebels or the prospect of partaking in armed strikes, preferring to offer humanitarian help.

Baird said since June G8 summit, Canada has allocated 48 million Canadian dollars of a 90-million-dollar pledge to help the Syrian people with emergency food assistance.

On Monday, Baird said in Toronto that Canada believes that the only way to halt the bloodshed in Syria is through a political solution.

"We understand that this solution is becoming more and more difficult as the crisis enters a very dangerous new phase," he said. "Canada will continue to work closely with our international partners to review a full range of options going forward."

On Aug. 21, the Syrian opposition claimed that some 1,300 people were killed in a chemical weapon attack carried out by the Syrian army on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus. The Syrian government strongly denied the accusation.

The UN chemical investigation team, originally scheduled to spend up to 14 days, with a possible extension, was currently probing the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria upon the request of the Syrian government as it and the rebels blamed each other for a purported chemical-weapon attack in the northern town of Khan al-Assal on March 19 which killed at least 25 people and wounded 130 others.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)