World Leaders Say âGood Luckâ to U.S. in Syria
Dozens of world leaders have offered support to the United States if it intervene in Syria, despite not promising any financial or military assistance. President Barack Obama has pushed for a multinational coalition for military action against Syria and President Bashar Al-Assad in response to their alleged use of chemical weapons, claiming the credibility of the U.S. and the international community is on the line. He has already received support from key leaders in Congress. But the leaders of several countries ranging from Israel, Saudi Arabia and Canada to North Korea and Iran said they wished the United States military "the best of luck" and "moral support" if it gets involved in Syria's ongoing civil war, though each one stopped short of joining the operation. In Israel, the United States' biggest ally in the Middle East, surveys found that a majority of Israelis support U.S. intervention in Syria but are overwhelmingly opposed to its military getting involved. This popular sentiment was echoed by the government today. "I want to thank the United States for taking the lead in dealing with Syria," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "It is about time the United States did something about Bashar Al-Assad's despotic regime. "Unfortunately, the Israeli Defense Force has a prior commitment so I can't send them to help out. But our hearts and minds will still be with you, even if our own soldiers will not." Saudi Arabia also backed U.S. strikes on Syria, though it did not commit itself to any military or financial support. "We are confident the United States is the right country to remove Bashar Al-Assad from power and to set up a new government with the rebels," Foreign Minister Ganoush Al-Baba said. "We wish Obama and the American people the best of luck with that." In a rare sign of diplomatic support, North Korea -- which has had a hostile relationship with the United States in recent years -- also said it supported U.S. action on Syria. "Dear Leader Kim Jong-un is a peaceful man and cannot get involved himself," according to a statement from North Korea's Central Committee. "However, North Korea and our friends in China, Sudan and Iran hope the United States will spare no expense fighting President Assad -- and we mean spend every dollar you have." Special relationshipsn British Prime Minister David Cameron said "my hands are tied," referring to Parliament's rejection of military action, but added "the British people will stand behind the United States, whether it's on the battlefield or, in this case, 3,500 kilometers away." Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper told CBC Radio he was confident the United States "has enough money and soldiers at its disposal to handle any problems with Syria. We'd only get in their way." In a joint statement, the governments of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece said economic concerns at home were the main reason they could not join a coalition against Syria. "If we had the money we would happily help out in Syria. Unfortunately, the recession has been really bad here and money is tight. We have bills to pay and people to look after. "But we are confident the United States can handle this on its own as it often does."