Trump, who has faced criticism for lacking a broader
strategy to deal with the Syria crisis, insisted he has no plans to “go into”
the war-torn country.
Senior White House officials, briefing reporters on
condition of anonymity, said Assad’s government carried out the April 4 sarin
nerve gas attack on civilians in Syria’s Idlib provinc.
87 people, including many children were killed in the
attack.
Russia has defended the Syrian leader against U.S.
allegations that his forces carried out the attack, saying there was no
evidence.
Russia has blamed Syrian rebels.
“It’s clear that the Russians are trying to cover up what
happened there,” one White House official said.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer later told reporters that
the facts backed up the U.S. version of events.
“Russia is on an island when it comes to its support of Syria or its lack of,
frankly, acknowledgment of what happened,” he told reporters.
However, at the same briefing, Spicer drew criticism after
he sought to underscore the ghastliness of the gas attack by saying: “You had someone
as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.
“Nazi Germany used gas chambers to kill millions of Jews
during the Holocaust.
Spicer later apologised and said he should not have made the
comparison.
The White House officials said Russia has frequently offered
multiple, conflicting accounts of Syrian government aggression including the
incident in the village of Khan Sheikhoun to sow doubt within the international
community.
The U.S. launched 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield on
Thursday to retaliate after the attack.
The strikes thrust Trump, who came to power in January
calling for warmer ties with Russia, and his administration into confrontation
with Moscow.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Trump in a telephone call
on Wednesday that “any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable” and urged a
political solution for Syria, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said of the
telephone exchange.
“(We) must persevere with moving towards a political
solution for the Syria issue. It is very important that the United Nations
Security Council maintains unity on the Syria issue.
“(I) hope the Security Council can speak with a single
voice,” CCTV cited Xi as saying.
Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said
on Tuesday she thought Russia knew about the chemical attack in advance.
“They didn’t look shocked. They didn’t look surprised. They
were so quick to defend. And then the evidence comes out, and we see exactly
what it is and we know exactly what the environment was. Then you realise,” she
said on CNN.
U.S. intelligence indicates that the chemical agent in the
attack was delivered by Syrian Su-22 aircraft that took off from the Shayrat
airfield, according to a White House report given to reporters.
In a four-page document, the White House sought to rebut
many of Moscow’s claims about the circumstances of the attack.
It said the Syrian planes were in the vicinity of Khan
Sheikhoun about 20 minutes before the attack and left shortly afterward.
“Additionally, our information indicates personnel
historically associated with Syria’s chemical weapons program were at Shayrat
airfield in late March making preparations for an upcoming attack in northern
Syria, and they were present at the airfield on the day of the attack,” the report
said.
Washington wants Russia to stop supporting Assad, who has
been fighting a six-year-long civil war against mostly Sunni Muslim rebels,
also with the backing of Shi’ite Muslim Iran.
(Reuters/NAN)
