Romney open to sending troops to Syria to counter threat of chemical weaponsAugust 25, 2012 - 11:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Friday, Aug. 24 that he would send U.S. troops to Syria if needed to prevent the spread of chemical weapons. "I think we have to also be ready to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that we do not have any kind of weapon of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists and whether that requires troops, or whether that requires other actions by our friends and allies," Romney said. Romney specifically noted that Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been involved in the region. The former Massachusetts governor has limited foreign policy experience, but has so far outlined bullish positions on potential threats in the Middle East. He also said that he'd be willing to go to war to stop Iran from "becoming nuclear." "No question in my view that we can put all manner of pressure on the regime that's there, but they have to also know that a military option is one which we'd be willing to consider if they do not take action to dissuade a course towards nuclearization," Romney said of Iran. President Barack Obama has left open the possibility of military action on Iran should aggressive sanctions and international pressure fail. On Syria, the president said Monday that the U.S. would reconsider its opposition to military involvement in Syria if President Bashar Assad's regime uses chemical or biological weapons. He called such action a "red line" for the U.S. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |