Britain delays vote on Syria strikes in move that could affect US

The British government is delaying a vote to approve military action in
Syria until United Nations chemical weapons inspectors finish an investigation
into last week’s attack, potentially pushing back the Obama administration’s
plans for a possible military strike.

Sky News reported
that Britain’s House of Commons would not vote on military involvement
on Thursday as it had planned, instead agreeing to vote on a resolution
that called for a “strong humanitarian response.” A second vote on military action would occur once the U.N. investigation is completed.

{mosads}British Prime Minister David Cameron had recalled Parliament this week and was pushing for a
vote on military action Thursday, but the voted was called off after the Labour Party threatened to oppose it.

As a result, Parliament might not vote until next week if the British government waits for U.N. inspectors to finish the
investigation, as U.N. Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday the inspectors would need four
days to complete their work.

Support from the British government is a key part of the Obama administration’s
plan to build up a coalition to launch strikes in Syria, as the backing of the
U.N. Security Council is not possible due to Russia’s opposition.

The Obama administration has said it doesn’t need to wait
for the U.N. investigation because it already has solid evidence that Syrian
President Bashar Assad’s regime is behind last week’s alleged chemical attack, in which hundreds were killed.

“The U.N. investigation will not determine who used these
chemical weapons, only whether such weapons were used — a judgment that is
already clear to the world,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday. “The
regime’s belated decision to allow access is too late, and it’s too late to be
credible.”