UN unanimously approves resolution on Syria chemical weapons

After Friday’s vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, said it was a clear message that the perpetrators would not go unpunished.

Chlorine is not prohibited, but its use as a weapon is prohibited under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria joined in 2013.

Syria’s declared stockpile of 1,300 metric tons of chemical compounds has been destroyed, however the OPCW is investigating attainable undeclared chemical weapons.

The United States and its allies have repeatedly accused President Bashar al-Assad’s forces of carrying out chlorine gas attacks with barrel bombs thrown from helicopters.

In December 2014, the Syrian government told the OPCW that armed groups had seized several industrial areas in Syria where chlorine-containing substances were being stored.

In March 2015, the Council expressed deep concern that toxic chemicals, such as chlorine, had been used as a weapon in Syria – which was the conclusion with a “high degree of confidence” by the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission – stressing that those who use such weapons must be held accountable.

The resolution came in response to recent allegations of attacks using the toxic gas, which is not classed as a chemical weapon but which is nevertheless illegal for use in war.

The draft resolution was worked out Wednesday in a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Taking into account the complex political-military situation in Syria, we believe it is extremely important that the JIM can correctly develop relationships within the country and develop a mechanism in the field, otherwise that wouldn’t be possible”.

The council is expected to authorise the investigative team for one year once it receives Ban’s recommendations.

The United National Security Council approved a new inspection program to identify the perpetrators of alleged chemical weapons attacks inside Syria in a unanimous vote Friday.

China’s UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi said that Beijing supported professional, just and objective investigations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, while stressing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected during the investigation process.

“Today the UN Security Council has taken another step aimed at stopping the use of chemical weapons in Syria”.

A chemical weapon attack on a Damascus suburb killed hundreds of civilians on August 21, 2013 and led the Security Council to demand the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons and the equipment used to produce them.

Security Council diplomats are separately working on a statement backing a new push for peace talks in Geneva that could yield a plan for a Syrian transition that western powers insist should happen without Assad.

The panel would be given “full access” to all locations in Syria and allowed to interview witnesses and collect materials, according to the draft resolution.