Syria missile strike: India calls for restraint

India on Saturday, while describing an alleged chemical attack in Syria as "deplorable", called for restraint after the US, Britain and France launched coordinated missile attacks on the West Asian nation.

"We have taken note of the recent strikes in Syria. India is closely following the situation. The alleged use of chemical weapons, if true, is deplorable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to queries.

He said that India wants "an impartial and objective investigationa by the Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to establish the facts.

"In the meantime, we urge all parties to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation in the situation," the spokesperson said.

"The matter should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, and on the basis of the principles of the UN Charter and in accordance with international law. We hope that the long drawn suffering of the people of Syria would come to an end soon."

The US, Britain and France launched coordinated strikes against Syria's research, storage and military targets to "punish" the Bashar al-Assad regime for an apparent chemical attack in Douma that killed over 70 people.

The military action was denounced by Damascus and its ally Moscow as a "failure" and "an act of aggression".

Western allies warned Syria on Saturday that they could launch further attacks if chemical weapons were used again.

--IANS

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