Breaking on CBS: British Vote Down Syria Action
LONDON British Prime Minister David Cameron has lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes, a stunning defeat for a government which had seemed days away from joining the U.S. in possible attacks to punish Bashar Assad's regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Thursday evening's vote was nonbinding, but in practice the rejection of military strikes means Cameron's hands are tied. In a terse statement to Parliament, Cameron said it was clear to him that the British people did not want to see military action.
In the debate preceding the vote, Cameron asserted that it would be legal and just to launch a military strike against Syria even without authorization from the United Nations Security Council, arguing that Syria could repeat its alleged use of poison gas if the international community fails to act.
Cameron had argued strongly for intervention, reminding lawmakers of a series of videos showing the gruesome aftermath of a chemical strike that the rebels and its Western backers blame on Syrian President Bashar Assad, who denies the charges. The independent Doctors Without Borders group says at least 355 people died in the attack.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57600693/syria-war-vote-doesnt-go-david-camerons-way-in-british-parliament/
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