Syria Debate: Cameron Makes Case For Action

David Cameron has urged MPs to support his position on military action in Syria as he declared "this is not like Iraq".

The Prime Minister said the "abhorrent" chemical weapons attack in Damascus last week had caused "sickening human suffering" and could not be ignored.

But he stressed his plans should not be compared to the allied invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the downfall of Saddam Hussein.

Starting an emergency debate in the Commons, Mr Cameron admitted this had sparked "deep public cynicism" about military intervention.

However, he said: "This is not like Iraq, what we are seeing in Syria is fundamentally different. We are not invading a country. We are not searching for chemical or biological weapons."

Ed Miliband is demanding "compelling evidence" against the Assad regime

Ahead of an important Commons vote, he warned "decades of painstaking work" would be undone if there was no international action.

"The global consensus against the use of chemical weapons will be fatally unravelled, a 100-year taboo would be breached," he warned.

The Prime Minister admitted there was no "one smoking piece of intelligence" that proved the Assad regime was behind the atrocity.

But he said he had been convinced by the available evidence and told MPs it was now up to them to make the same judgement.

He warned Syrian leader Bashar Assad would conclude he could "use these weapons again and again and on a larger scale and with impunity" if the world stood by.

"In the end we can't know the mind of this brutal dictator, all we can do is make a judgment about whether it is better to act or not to act and make a judgment about whether he is responsible or not responsible," he said.

Despite efforts to secure a UN Security Council resolution, Mr Cameron argued this should not be the only basis for possible action.

Indicating Britain could ignore a veto by Russia or China, he said his test would be if there was "overwhelming opposition" at the UN.

Anti-war protesters outside Parliament during the debate

The debate came after Downing Street published its legal advice for action and a letter detailing the position of intelligence experts.

Government lawyers believe Britain could launch a targeted strike on humanitarian grounds without agreement at the UN.

And evidence from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) found a chemical weapons did take place and it was "highly likely" the Assad regime was to blame.

MPs will vote tonight on the principle of military action, with any direct British involvement requiring a further Commons vote.

Mr Cameron was forced to abandon plans for early intervention due to Labour opposition - but the party is still vowing to oppose the Government motion.

It called the Prime Minister's new position "opaque" and is demanding "compelling evidence" before committing itself.

Number 10 has reacted furiously to Ed Miliband's positioning, accusing him of "playing politics" and attempting to divide the country.

But in the Commons, the Labour leader insisted "evidence should precede decision" and that the UN was not an "inconvenient sideshow" but essential to building a case.

He told the House he had not ruled out military intervention but said: "We need to be clear-eyed about the impact this would have."

Calling for respect to be shown to the UN, he added: "I am very clear about the fact that we have to learn the lessons of Iraq."

UN inspectors investigating the attack this week

A frustrated Number 10 argued that the evidence from the intelligence services and publicly available material, including YouTube videos, was clear.

"Are we seriously suggesting that rows of three-year-old children frothing at the mouth and dead were somehow made to act this out?" a senior source said.

"Experts who have looked at this video have said it is conclusive that something like sarin was used here. The idea that this was concocted in some way is ridiculous."

Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said it was impossible to have 100% proof the regime was involved but insisted the available evidence was strong.

The chemical weapon attack was in the same Damascus suburb where a sustained military attack by government forces was taking place, he pointed out.

And he warned MPs: "At this very moment, the Assad regime in Damascus is watching very carefully to see whether they will get away with what they have done.

"If there is no significant international response of any kind, then we can be absolutely certain that the forces within Damascus will be successful in saying we must continue to use these whenever there is a military rationale for doing so.

"There is no guarantee that a military strike against military targets will work, but there is every certainty that if we don't make that effort to punish and deter, then these actions will indeed continue."

UN weapons inspectors are due to finish their work on Friday and will report directly to secretary general Ban Ki-moon within 24 hours.

But their conclusions will not apportion blame - they will only set out the evidence on whether a chemical attack happened or not.

Before the debate in Britain, Syria's Parliament called on British MPs to avoid "reckless action", warning intervention could help terrorists and lead to the deaths of UK troops.

In a letter, it declared a strike would be "an aggressive and unprovoked act of war" and said: "We ask you not to bomb us but to work with us."

Assad also issued a fresh warning on Thursday that the country would "defend itself in the face of any aggression".

Six British RAF Typhoon jets have been sent to Cyprus as tensions mount, in what the Ministry of Defence called a "prudent and precautionary measure".

Meanwhile, reports suggested Russia - a key ally of Syria - is sending warships to the Mediterranean.

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