John McCain says US should be 'ashamed' of inaction over Syria conflict

Republican senator steps up rhetoric against Obama, saying US should not allow Russia and China to dictate intervention






John McCain said that the US should not allow Moscow and Beijing to stand in the way of intervention. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Senator John McCain has accused Barack Obama of a "disgraceful" abandonment of Syria's revolutionaries, and called on the US administration to defy Russian objections and arm Bashar al-Assad's opponents.



The Republican former presidential candidate also called for the declaration of safe havens inside Syria, protected by US air power if necessary, after visiting refugee camps at which he said he met women who were raped and soldiers who defected to the opposition.


"The question is how many more have to die at the hands of this bloody dictator before we intervene?" he told the World at One on BBC Radio. "I think you have to arm the opposition. They are desperate for arms."


The call from McCain, who is the highest ranking Republican on the armed services committee, will increase the pressure on Obama, who is facing growing demands for stronger action over Syria following the massacre of more than 100 people in Houla last month, including scores of children and women shot execution-style in the head. The president is also being forced to fend off accusations from Republicans that he is failing to stand up to Russia and China, which have blocked tougher measures against Damascus.



The senator said that the US should not allow Moscow and Beijing to stand in the way and should act unilaterally. "We didn't need a UN resolution in Kosovo and if the United States of America and other countries are willing to turn over the decision making process to the good wishes and motivation of Russia and China then obviously we will do nothing because Russia continues not only to oppose action in the security council but continues to arm Bashar Assad. I'm not ready to base action to help people who are struggling for freedom on whether the Russians will veto any action or not in the security council."


McCain drew a parallel with US and international inaction over Rwanda as hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were murdered in 1994.



"You can think of all kinds of reasons not to act. The facts on the ground are indisputable. Bashar Assad is slaughtering and massacring his own people. Torture, rape and murder are matters of doctrine," he said. "We can look back on this as we did with Bosnia and Kosovo with pride or we can look back on it with shame as we did in Rwanda. It's a choice that will have to be made and this administration not only does nothing, when's the last time you heard the president of the United States speak up on behalf of these people who are being slaughtered? It's disgraceful. We should be ashamed."


Obama has warned against further militarisation of the struggle, saying the last thing Syria needs is more weapons. McCain is dismissive of that argument.


"I'm always puzzled by statements from our administration and others that they don't want to militarise the conflict. Well Russian arms shipments continue to come in. Iranians are on the ground assisting them. They have tanks and artillery supplied by the Russians and others against people who demonstrate peacefully. That's not a fair fight. That's a militarisation that's already taken place only it's on one side," he said.



The senator rejected concerns from some in the US Congress that it would be dangerous to arm the Syrian opposition activists when it is not clear what their loyalties or whether they are linked to Islamic extremists. "I heard that same tune as far as Libya was concerned. I heard the same thing in Bosnia and Kosovo by those who simply have a view that we don't intervene to help people who are struggling for their freedom," he said. "These people are the direct repudiation of al-Qaida. Al-Qaida believes in acts of terror to bring about change. These people believe in peaceful demonstrations to bring about change.



"It's not that difficult to figure out. The question is will we have the intestinal fortitude to act on behalf of these people or sit by and watch."