Germany supports the political settlement of the crisis in Syria, but will not ignore the use of chemical weapons in the Middle Eastern country, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.
"Our foreign policy principle is to support political efforts. Therefore, of course, we participate in Syria as part of small formats, the Astana format and the UN-led format, but we cannot but pay attention to the fact that chemical weapons are used somewhere, the international convention is violated," Merkel said in her address to the German parliament.
Following Merkel's statement, the Social Democratic Party of Germany announced that it would not support the possible Western military attack on Syria unless it recieves UN approval.
"The prohibition of force is a foundation of international order, the SDP's Andrea Nahles said during her speech in Bundestag. "Without the UN Security Council's decision or a decision of the UN General Assembly that can empower the international community to carry out military activity, the Social Democrats will not support any military intervention in the situation in Syria."
READ MORE: German Officials Speak About Possibility of Joining Syria Strikes
Berlin’s response to any use of chemical weapons in Syria will be within the framework of the country’s legislation and parliamentary obligations, she added.
Earlier reports stated that the German Defense Ministry was considering the possibility of joining the potential US, UK and French strikes on Syria if the countries agree that the government has launched a chemical attack.
