UK parliament votes against intervention in Syria

The British parliament voted on Thursday against taking military action on Syria and Prime Minister David Cameron accepted the vote and said he would act accordingly.

The defeat to Cameron’s motion was stunning to a government which had seemed days away from joining the United States in possible attacks to punish Bashar al-Assad’s regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Thursday evening’s vote was nonbinding, but in practice the rejection of military strikes means Cameron’s hands are tied.

In a terse statement to Parliament, Cameron said it was clear to him that the British people did not want to see military action.

“It is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action. I get that and the government will act accordingly,” Cameron said after the result was announced.

The defeat will be seen as a severe rebuff for Cameron, who had recalled parliament from its summer recess to vote on the issue.

Britain has sent six RAF Typhoon jets to its Akrotiri base in Cyprus in a move to protect British interests as tensions grow over Syria, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday, AFP reported.

(With AFP and Reuters)