Regime use of chemicals in Syria demands a UN response, says opposition
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The recognized Syrian opposition bloc, the High Negotiations Committee that has attended the Geneva peace talks, has said the confirmed use of chemical weapons in civilian areas should see UN measures forbidding such methods imposed against the regime in Damascus.
In a statement released from Riyadh on Wednesday the HNC said it had sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council calling for measures to be taken under the UN Charter’s Chapter VII, which legally gives the council authority to counter aggression through military or nonmilitary means to “restore international peace and security."
The HNC invoked that chapter after it was confirmed that the Syrian regime is using chemical weapons in its current fight against armed opposition groups in Aleppo, Idlib and Rif Damascus. Under the terms of three UN Security Council resolutions, passed in 2013 and 2015, the enforcement of Chapter VII is a requirement, and the HNC believes now is the time for the Security Council to enforce that chapter.
“It is imperative that Chapter VII measures now be imposed to ensure consequences for the repeated and systematic use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, and to deter future war crimes, including chemical warfare against Syrian civilians,” wrote the General Coordinator of the HNC, Dr. Riyad Hijab.
“The Security Council and its Member States have the mandate to protect civilians from chemical weapons attacks, it is high time they used it,” he added.
He then went on to ask: “How many more Syrians must die before the Member States of this Security Council are compelled to act? How many more innocent Syrian children will suffocate to death on chlorine gas before the world answers their calls for civilian protection?”
The HNC wants the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate two attacks in Aleppo and Idlib this month where toxic gas was reportedly used and submit their findings to the UN. It then wants the UN to impose the relevant measures under the UN Charter’s Chapter VII before ensuring “accountability for individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons,” through the establishment of “a special tribunal for Syria.”
The Syrian regime reportedly used chlorine gas in Idlib province and Aleppo on two occasions this month, an act which is currently being investigated. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said that if such an attack took place, “it is a war crime and as such it would require everyone… to address it immediately.”
Russia, which is supporting the Syrian regime, has also reportedly used incendiary weapons in recent weeks, actions which Human Rights Watch in recent days has described as “disgraceful.”
In a statement released from Riyadh on Wednesday the HNC said it had sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council calling for measures to be taken under the UN Charter’s Chapter VII, which legally gives the council authority to counter aggression through military or nonmilitary means to “restore international peace and security."
The HNC invoked that chapter after it was confirmed that the Syrian regime is using chemical weapons in its current fight against armed opposition groups in Aleppo, Idlib and Rif Damascus. Under the terms of three UN Security Council resolutions, passed in 2013 and 2015, the enforcement of Chapter VII is a requirement, and the HNC believes now is the time for the Security Council to enforce that chapter.
“It is imperative that Chapter VII measures now be imposed to ensure consequences for the repeated and systematic use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, and to deter future war crimes, including chemical warfare against Syrian civilians,” wrote the General Coordinator of the HNC, Dr. Riyad Hijab.
“The Security Council and its Member States have the mandate to protect civilians from chemical weapons attacks, it is high time they used it,” he added.
He then went on to ask: “How many more Syrians must die before the Member States of this Security Council are compelled to act? How many more innocent Syrian children will suffocate to death on chlorine gas before the world answers their calls for civilian protection?”
The HNC wants the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate two attacks in Aleppo and Idlib this month where toxic gas was reportedly used and submit their findings to the UN. It then wants the UN to impose the relevant measures under the UN Charter’s Chapter VII before ensuring “accountability for individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons,” through the establishment of “a special tribunal for Syria.”
The Syrian regime reportedly used chlorine gas in Idlib province and Aleppo on two occasions this month, an act which is currently being investigated. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said that if such an attack took place, “it is a war crime and as such it would require everyone… to address it immediately.”
Russia, which is supporting the Syrian regime, has also reportedly used incendiary weapons in recent weeks, actions which Human Rights Watch in recent days has described as “disgraceful.”