Durkan to oppose push for vindictive Syria strikes

Mr Durkan said it’s been odd listening to both American and British government spokespersons speaking in the last few days about needing to act on the basis of ‘retribution’.

He said there are many groups and parties in the Middle East who could just as easily justify violence on the basis of the need for retribution but it was something his party would always counsel against.

“It is therefore an appalling message from the international community to all sorts of parties in the Middle East – with all of the history and issues there that the going rate for justifying violence is retribution,” he said.

“Because I believe this motion is about framing the premise for military intervention in the very near future I will be joining those who will be voting against the government’s motion,” headed.

He acknowledged poison gas was used but said the provenance of the gas was not yet known.

Mr Durkan said: “We know that deadly weapons were used but we don’t know exactly who used them.

“We also don’t know what the scale of the remaining such weaponry actually is – and therefore military intervention could actually end up escalating the use of chemical weapons.”