Anifah: Malaysia against military strike against Syria’

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia stated yesterday that it is against any military strike against Syria by outside powers.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said military intervention could not solve the problem in Syria and would only result in the loss of innocent lives and damage to property.

“Political solution (is the best). We never believe military intervention will solve the problem. We have seen what’s happened in many countries; what’s happened in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan. It has not solved any problem whatsoever.

“Our position is very clear, that we must give an opportunity to the warring factions to sit down together through a dialogue and consultations and find a solution which brings benefits to the people of that particular country,” he told a news conference here.

Anifah was commenting on the expressed desire of the United States to launch a military strike against Syria. The United States was reportedly planning to launch a limited military strike against Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government.

Commenting on the role of the Arab League to assist Syria to resolve the situation, Anifah said the best way to help was through negotiations and political discussion.

“We strongly hope that the Arab League will find a solution to this problem because they are the concerned countries in the particular region and they should decide what is best for Syria and also the region, so that stability and security are guaranteed,” he added.

Earlier, Anifah presented a cheque for US$200,000 (RM657,233) to the Sudanese Ambassador to Malaysia, Khalid Abdelgadir Shukri, to help Sudanese who had been suffering due to floods since early August.

Anifah, in his speech, said the donation was from the public through the ministry’s disaster fund established in 2006 to ease the burden of people outside Malaysia affected by disasters. — Bernama