Apr 14, 2018

Haley: U.S. "locked and loaded" if Assad uses chemical weapons again

Haley Britzky

Nikki Haley. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley said at a U.N. Security Council meeting Saturday that President Trump told her the U.S. is "locked and loaded" if Syria uses chemical weapons again.

What's happening: Russia called a meeting on Saturday morning to discuss Friday night's coordinated strikes on Syria. Russia was pushing for a vote to condemn the strikes, carried out by the U.S., U.K., and France. It failed.

What they're saying: António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, said: "I urge all Member States to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people.”

  • Russia's U.N. envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, told the council that Russia "condemns in the strongest possible terms" the strike, and that the U.S. and its allies "continue to show blatant disregard of international law.”
  • Haley said the U.S. gave diplomacy "chance after chance" with Russia and Syria before deciding to launch the strikes, but on Friday "the time to talk ended."
  • Karen Pierce, U.K. Ambassador to the U.N., added she "will take no lessons on international law from Russia."
  • France's U.N. envoy, Francois Delattre, explained the strikes were "a necessary response."

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