BRUSSELS: The NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen said on Thursday that the option of carrying out a military strike or similar operation in Syria must be kept open as a way of dealing with the crisis.
In an event organized by the Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels, Rasmussen said it was essential for keeping momentum in the diplomatic and political process that the military option remained on the table.
However, the NATO chief welcomed the agreement between the United States and Russia on the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons.
Rasmussen said he had no doubt the Syrian government was behind an August 21 sarin gas attack on a Damascus suburb.
Moreover, he dismissed an allegation made by the Syrian government and Moscow that the rebels were responsible for the attack, saying the missiles were launched from areas controlled by the government.
