Friday, August 28, 2015

Ban Ki-moon strongly condemns use of chemical weapons and toxic chemicals as weapons in Syria conflict

UN, 27 August 2015 – Deeply disturbed by continuing reports of the use of chemical weapons, as well as the use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in Syria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned any such use by any party to the conflict and stressed that the entire international community has the responsibility to hold the perpetrators to account.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York, Mr Ban reiterate that a resolution unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council earlier this month, is a strong collective message from the international community that any use of chemical weapons “shall not be tolerated and will have consequences.”

The resolution, agreed on 7 August, gave the greenlight for the establishment of a Joint Investigative Mechanism to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. It requested the UN Secretary-General, in coordination with the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to submit recommendations for the establishment of the Mechanism within 20 days.

The Mechanism, established for a period of one year with a possibility of future extension, will be tasked with identifying “individuals, entities, groups, or governments involved in the use of chemicals as weapons, including chlorine or any other toxic chemical,” in Syria, according to the Council, which reiterated that those responsible must be held accountable.

In the statement issued today, the UN chief reiterated that the international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never be used again as an instrument of warfare.

Pursuant to the, Mr. Ban, in coordination with the OPCW Director-General, today submitted to the Security Council the requested recommendations, including elements of Terms of Reference, on the OPCW–UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) to be established by the resolution on the use of chemicals as weapons, including chlorine or any other toxic chemical, in Syria.

“The Secretary-General calls on all parties in the [Syria] to cooperate fully with the JIM. 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.”

  un.org
27/8/15
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2 comments:

  1. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that those who use toxic chemicals in the Syrian civil war will face consequences...

    In a statement issued by his spokesman, Ban expressed concerns about continuing reports of chemical weapons use in the Syrian conflict, now in its fifth year.

    "The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never be used again as an instrument of warfare," he said.

    Earlier this month, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution asking the UN chief and the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to set up a joint investigative panel tasked with determining who to blame for toxic weapons attacks in Syria.

    On Thursday, Ban submitted to the 15-member body "the requested recommendations ... on the OPCW–UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) to be established by the resolution".

    The resolution "is a strong collective message from the international community that any such use shall not be tolerated and will have consequences", he said, calling on all parties in the conflict to cooperate fully with the investigative panel.

    The use of chlorine and other toxic chemicals as a weapon in Syria has been previously documented.

    A fact-finding mission by the OPCW found in September 2014 "with a high degree of confidence, that chlorine was used as a weapon systematically and repeatedly in three villages in northern Syria".

    Earlier Thursday, UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien urged the Security Council to do everything in its power to push for a political solution to end the conflict.

    "With all the will in the world, humanitarian action cannot be a substitute for political action. The Council must exert leadership to push for a political solution," he told the council in a briefing.

    The Syrian civil war has resulted in the deaths of at least 250,000 victims and made the country the world's single-largest source of refugees and displaced people, according to the UN.
    http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/582763--un-warns-of-consequences-for-syria-chemical-attacks

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  2. Mission to investigate chemical attacks to have limited presence in Syria — UN...

    The Joint Mission of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to identify those responsible for using chemical weapons in attacks in Syria will have a limited presence in this country, says a letter of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to the Security Council with recommendations about the structure and the work of the mission.

    Ban Ki-moon suggested that its work be overseen by an independent commission consisting of three persons - assistant Secretary-General and his two deputies who will be in charge of political issues and investigative activities. The main objective is to identify individuals, organizations or governments that were involved in the use of chemical agents in combat.

    Security Council members are expected to give a written reply to Ban Ki-moon’s recommendations within five days.

    The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2235 on August 7 on establishing the mechanism to identify perpetrators using chemical weapons in Syria.
    http://tass.ru/en/world/817134
    28/8/15

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