International

Haley: US ready to ‘bring this conflict to an end’ in Syria

by Nikita Vladimirov 04/12/17 12:51 PM ET

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday said Washington was ready to back a diplomatic solution in Syria and bring the conflict “to an end.”

“For our part, the United States will continue to use influence over any party to push for peace,” Haley said while delivering her remarks at the U.N.

“We are ready through our weight and resources behind diplomacy. We are ready to help bring this conflict to an end.”

{mosads}Haley also blasted Russia for supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad, who U.S. officials believe is responsible for a chemical attack against Syrian civilians last week.

She defended President Trump’s decision to retaliate with a missile strike against a Syrian airfield last Thursday, saying the U.S. “will not allow the use of chemical weapons to go unanswered.”

“When Assad’s planes dropped chemical weapons, his regime violated a resolution from this very council and the chemical weapons convention. Assad mocked every assurance that the Russians gave us that there were no chemical weapons in Syria,” Haley said.

“The United States was compelled to act. We will not allow the use of chemical weapons to go unanswered.”

Haley argued that Russia isolates itself every time Assad drops a bomb on innocent civilians.

“To my colleagues from Russia, you are isolating yourselves from the international community every time one of Assad’s planes drops another barrel bomb on civilians and every time Assad tries to starve another community to death,” she said.

“It is long past time for Russia to stop covering for Assad,” Haley added, urging Russia to “use its influence” to make Assad “live up to his international obligations.”

“We need to see Russia choose to side with the civilized world over an Assad government that brutally terrorizes its own people.”