BRUSSELS, (PNA/Xinhua) — The European Union (EU) on Tuesday welcomed the UN report confirming a chemical attack happened in Syria, saying it would “help identify the perpetrators.”
“With this report we now have reliable evidence confirming that a large-scale chemical attack was perpetrated on that day with the use of sarin gas,” said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
“The report also corroborates that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in four areas of Damascus” on Aug. 21, she said.
“These are indications that will help identify the perpetrators, ” said Ashton.
Ten days earlier in Vilnius, Ashton told reporters that information from several sources confirmed the Syrian regime was responsible for the attack “as is the only one that possesses chemical weapons agents and the means of the delivery in this efficient quantity.”
Ashton insisted the EU stood united in condemning in the strongest terms the “horrific attack which constitutes a violation of international law, a war crime, and a crime against humanity.” “There can be no impunity and perpetrators of the attacks must be held accountable,” she said.
She called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities in agreeing swiftly on an effective resolution that will authorize the process for ensuring the swift and secure destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon briefed the Security Council in a closed-door meeting about the report from a fact-finding group looking into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.
The report confirmed that chemical weapons were used in Ghouta, Syria, without assigning blame.