"We condemn the use of chemical weapons. Those behind this should be strongly condemned. It is a crime against humanity and an action that runs counter to the standards of the international law," Artūras Paulauskas, chairman of the National Security and Defense Committee, said after the meeting.
"Our opinion is that the international community's response should be resolute, proper and one that will prevent future use of chemical weapons," he said.
As the world is considering an armed response to the Syrian administration, Lithuania has not yet specified the actions that should be taken, as it has access to limited information only, Paulauskas added.
"We haven't said that the response should be armed, it may also be diplomatic or some other type of action; however, we need an action that would prevent future use of chemical weapons. And, of course, the guilty ones should answer for what they did," the politician said.
"For now, we have said everything we could say. We do not have complete information. We understand that we have access to limited information only, particularly in connection to the ones who could have used and used the chemical weapons," he emphasized.
Paulauskas expressed hope that the questions will be answered shortly, by the United Nations and the world's largest countries that have more information.
He said there was no need for the Lithuanian parliament to vote on military action in Syria.
Foreign Vice-Minister Neris Germanas said at the joint meeting of the two parliamentary committees on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) should manage to agree on a stance on the Syrian matter. In his words, an attempt to reach consensus will be made during a meeting of EU defense ministers in Vilnius later this week. The meeting should be attended by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Western democracies are currently discussing a response to the developments in Syria. Syrian opposition groups have accused the regime of President Bashar Al Assad of carrying out a chemical attack near the capital Damascus, which claimed more than 1,300 lives.
Damascus has denied the accusations.
