UN chief condemns use of chemical weapons in Syrian

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned use of chemicals as a weapon by any party in the Syrian conflict and called for implementation of the Security Council resolution on chemical weapons probe.

"The continuing reports of the use of chemical weapons, as well as the use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the Syrian conflict are deeply disturbing," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson.

While condemning any such use by any party in the conflict, Ban said that Resolution 2235, which was adopted by the Security Council earlier this month, is a strong collective message from the international community that "any such use shall not be tolerated and will have consequences."

The 15-nation Council unanimously adopted the resolution on Aug. 7 to set up an investigative mechanism to identify the perpetrators of the deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria.

According to the resolution, within 20 days of the adoption, the Secretary-General and the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) shall submit to the Council recommendations for the establishment and operation of a UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism to identify the perpetrators.

The statement noted that Ban had submitted by Thursday the requested recommendations, including elements of terms of reference, on the joint investigative mechanism. Ban called on all parties in Syria to cooperate with the mechanism.

"He counts on the continued engagement and support of the members of the Security Council as well as the entire UN membership to ensure the effective implementation of this resolution," said the statement.

Reports said that local residents accused Islamic State (IS) militants of using a chemical agent in a new attack in Syria. According to the U.S. TV network CNN, U.S. senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said test results from another IS attack in Syria three weeks ago also confirmed the group used a mustard agent as a weapon.

The Syrian conflict began when nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad met with violent government crackdowns in 2011. Till now, it has been dragging on for more than four years with no solution in sight.

UN Relief Chief Stephen O'Brien said earlier Thursday that more than 1 million people have been killed, 7.6 million people displaced in Syria and more than 4 million people have fled the country.

Source: XINHUA