Chemical Weapons Use in Syria - UN Security Council Briefing (6 Sept 2018)

Remarks by Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, on the Chemical weapon use in Syria during the 8344th meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.
The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs said the lack of a mechanism to attribute responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria has been “deeply troubling” adding that anyone who uses them “must be identified and must be held to account.”
Briefing the Security Council today (06 Sep), Izumi Nakamitsu said the closure of the Joint Investigative Mechanism of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which was mandated to identify the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks, “emboldened those who sought to carry out further attacks.” She said the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable by any party and under any circumstances.
Turning to the situation Idlib, Nakamitsu reiterated that it is of “vital importance that humanitarian principles be upheld, all relevant international disarmament and non-proliferation norms - most importantly the Chemical Weapons Convention - are fully respected, and that all sides work together to avoid further escalation.”
Watch the full meeting: