The United States does not plan to use military force in Syria, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday.
When asked by reporters what the department’s reaction would be to Russia having “warned the West from intervening in Syria or creating a buffer zone or no-fly zone,” Nuland said: “I think we’ve made clear what we’re looking at in terms of U.S. support for the opposition. We’re talking about nonlethal support.”
“We’re talking about training. We’re talking about trying to help those in Syria who are trying to manage and provide for people in parts of Syria that have now been liberated from regime dominance,” she said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry earlier on Tuesday called on Western countries to avoid military intervention in Syria.
A week ago, the emir of Qatar called for Arab military intervention in Syria.
The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 20,000 lives according to estimates by various Syrian opposition groups. The UN estimates the death toll at over 18,000 people. The Syrian authorities say 8,000 were killed.
The West is pushing for President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.
