British Prime Minister David Cameron has spoken to US President Barack Obama on phone against the backdrop of both countries considering military intervention in Syria, officials said today.
Downing Street said Cameron heard the “latest on US thinking” on the issue, ahead of a National Security Council meeting today and a House of Commons vote on Thursday.
“No decision has yet been taken. Any action we take or others take would have to be legal, would have to be proportionate,” Cameron said.
“It would have to be specifically to deter and degrade the future use of chemical weapons.”
Cameron said he took his responsibilities “about safeguarding our armed services incredibly carefully, incredibly seriously”.
“But the question we need to ask is whether acting or not acting will make the use of chemical weapons more prevalent,” he added.
The Syrian government has blamed opposition fighters for an alleged chemical attack near Damascus on August 21, in which hundreds of people were reportedly killed.
The latest phone call between Obama and Cameron was the second since the alleged chemical attack.
