| Author (Corporate) | European Union: European External Action Service |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Press Release |
| Series Details | 07.04.17 |
| Publication Date | 07/04/2017 |
| Content Type | News |
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Dozens of people were killed on the 4 April 2017 in the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib by what was thought to be a poison gas attack. The exact cause of the attack was not immediately clear and was disputed between the various interested parties. Western reports tended to point the responsibility onto the regime of Syrian president Bashar Assad. Kim Won-soo, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs said on the 5 April 2017 that 'if confirmed, this would constitute the single largest chemical weapons attack in Syria since the attack on eastern Ghouta in August 2013'. On the 6 April 2017 the EU adopted a Declaration which said 'The EU condemns in the strongest terms the air strike that hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on 4 April 2017, which has had horrific consequences, causing the deaths and injuries of scores of civilians including children and relief workers, with many victims displaying symptoms of gas poisoning. The EU urges the United Nations Security Council to come together, strongly condemn the attack on Khan Sheikhoun and ensure a swift, independent and impartial investigation of the attack'. On the 7 April 2017 the United States launched a cruise missile strike against Shayrat Airfield, a Syrian air base in response to the suspected chemical weapons attack. The US said that the strikes were limited and focused on preventing and deterring further use of chemical weapons atrocities. From Russia, the Kremlin suggested that the US air strikes were an unjustified aggression against a sovereign country, 'delivered in violation of international law under a far-fetched pretext. The Syrian Army has no chemical weapons. The fact of the destruction of all Syrian chemical weapons’ stockpiles has been recorded and verified by the OPCW, a specialised UN body'. NATO issued a statement on the 7 April 2017: 'The Syrian regime bears the full responsibility for this development. NATO has consistently condemned Syria’s continued use of chemical weapons as a clear breach of international norms and agreements'. In a Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the US strike it was said that the EU accepted the 'understandable intention to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons'. However, it also stressed that 'The EU firmly believes that there can be no military solution to the conflict and is committed to the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian State. Only a credible political solution, as defined in UNSCR 2254 and the 2012 Geneva Communiqué will ensure peace and stability in Syria and enable a decisive defeat of Da'esh and other UN-designated terrorist groups in Syria. The EU reiterates its support to the UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks in Geneva to reach a political solution to the Syrian conflict. This is even more urgent now, as reaffirmed by the International Conference Supporting the future of Syria and the region that the European Union hosted in Brussels on 4-5 April 2017. On the 7 April 2017 United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged restraint to avoid any escalation of the situation in Syria. 'These events underscore my belief that there is no other way to solve the conflict than through a political solution' he said, calling on the parties to urgently renew their commitment to making progress in the Geneva [intra-Syrian talks]. The issue was discussed at the G7 Meeting of Foreign Ministers in Lucca, 10-11 April 2017. However, a UK proposal to agree on a policy of strengthened sanctions against Syria's ally Russia was not adopted. Further commentary features on these developments can be found here and here. |
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| Source Link | http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/04/07-hr-declaration-us-strike-syria/ |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Middle East, United States |
