Turnbull reiterates calls on Russia to bring six-year conflict to an end, saying it must use leverage to drive political settlement

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Malcolm Turnbull says president Bashar al-Assad’s “war crimes” disqualify him from any continuing role in Syria after the conflict ends.

Turnbull on Saturday offered his second strong endorsement in as many days of the United States’ unilateral military strike on the Shayrat airbase near Homs, following a chemical weapons attack.

He said Assad’s crimes meant he could play no further part in Syria after a political settlement is reached.

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“If President Assad hoped to have a continuing role after a political settlement, his criminal, horrendous actions, gassing his own people, women and children, babies ... that surely disqualifies him for a continuing role,” Turnbull said.

“Those who commit war crimes should always be held accountable,” he said.

Turnbull also reiterated calls on Russia to bring the bloody six-year conflict to an end. He said Russia must use its leverage in the region to drive a political settlement.

“There has been a swift and just response and now it is up to the [UN] Security Council, up to Russia in particular, to bring this conflict to an end,” Turnbull said. “They have the leverage over the regime. If the great powers engaged in this conflict, both global and regional, worked together then peace can be found.”

Turnbull’s comments come as tensions between Russia and the US heightened over the Tomahawk cruise missile strike on the Shayrat airbase. Russia shut down a crucial military communications hotline with the US, a channel that is used to prevent the two nuclear powers accidentally engaging each other or their proxies.

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The prime minister said the US military response was the only option to respond to the chemical weapons attack that left at least 70 dead in rebel-held territory in Syria’s north.



“Ultimately there has to be a political solution, nobody argues that,” Turnbull said. “But as long as the parties to the conflict and in particular the Assad government is prepared to commit crimes of the type we have witnessed in the past few days, the only response to that, the only swift response to that, has to be a military one.

Turnbull was speaking from Papua New Guinea on Saturday morning, where he is meeting its prime minister, Peter O’Neill, for trade and security talks.

The visit will also mark the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign.