Kerry has the unmitigated gall to tell Euopeans that this is their "Munich Moment"

[ProSense]

3. Kerry and French Foreign Minister Appeal Together for Strike Against Syria

Kerry and French Foreign Minister Appeal Together for Strike Against Syria

By MICHAEL R. GORDON

PARIS — The two most vocal advocates of an international response to a chemical weapons attack in Syria teamed up on Saturday when Secretary of State John Kerry and his French counterpart made an unusual joint appeal for military action.

“France and the United States stand together,” said Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, who argued that a punishing military strike was needed to redraw the red line against the use of chemical weapons.

Mr. Kerry reached back to President John F. Kennedy’s meetings with President Charles de Gaulle and sought to touch a chord with wary Europeans over the need to stand up to the “slaughter” of civilians by delivering much of his presentation in fluent French.

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French officials, for their part, have made clear that they do not want to go it alone against Syria and need a partner if action is taken...to obtain broader backing for a military operation from European nations, France’s president, François Hollande, said Friday that his government would not act militarily before United Nations inspectors presented their findings about the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus...The move was intended to secure a measure of support from Germany and other European nations, which are concerned that action will be taken without the approval of the United Nations Security Council because of the threat of a Russian veto...After Mr. Hollande’s remarks, the European Union issued a statement on Saturday at a meeting in Lithuania calling for a “clear and strong response,” but only after a “preliminary” report by United Nations inspectors is submitted “as soon as possible.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/world/europe/european-union-wants-un-report-before-any-military-action-in-syria.html