If allegations gainst Syria's use of Chemical weapons proved, then UN Security Council should unite and respond: UN chief

New York:

If the use of Chemical weapon in Syria is confirmed it would be a serious violation of international law and an outrageous war crime, according to UN Secretary general Ban ki Moon.

“Almost a century ago, following the horrors of the First World War, the international community acted to ban the use of these weapons of mass destruction.  Our common humanity compels us to ensure that chemical weapons do not become a tool of war or terror in the twenty-first century.  Any perpetrators must be brought to justice.  There should be no impunity,” he said.

“Bearing in mind the primary responsibility of the Security Council, I call for its members to unite and to develop an appropriate response, should the allegations of use prove to be true.  The Security Council has a duty to move beyond the current stalemate and show leadership.  This is a larger issue than the conflict in Syria; this is about our collective responsibility to humankind,” he said.

Whatever the source, this latest escalation should be a wake-up call for the international community.  We must put an end to the atrocities the Syrian people continue to suffer.  We should avoid further militarization of the conflict and revitalize the search for a political settlement, he added

Q&A:

Question:  On behalf of the UN Correspondents Association, thank you, Secretary-General, for the briefing, and we wish you well on the G20 meeting.  My question is, since you are talking about an end to impunity and you are also talking about the primacy of the Charter, which would prohibit any military strike without UN Security Council authorization and with a stalemate in the Security Council, what is it that you are proposing?  What’s in the toolbox of the UN to avoid that kind of confrontation to end impunity, and do you think the inspectors’ report will be out before the U.S. Congress convenes?  Thank you.

Secretary-General:  As I have repeatedly said, the Security Council has primary responsibility for international peace and security.  For any course of actions in the future, depending upon the outcome of the analysis, the scientific analysis, will have to be considered by the Security Council for any action.  That’s my appeal — that everything should be handled within the framework of the United Nations Charter.  The use of force is lawful only when in exercise of self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and/or when the Security Council approves such action.  That is the firm principle of the United Nations.  And as I said again for your second question, our mandate to investigate the other allegations of chemical use remains unchanged and when we are ready, we will send, dispatch, our mission again to Syria for the final report.  The timing will have to be considered later on, depending upon the situation.

Question: Do you mean, Secretary-General, that the position taken by President [Barack] Obama that in his opinion there should be a strike is illegal, and why did you agree, or your team, agree to limit the mandate of the investigation team to only, as you put it, the nature and extent of, rather than if the team has information as to who is responsible.  Was this what the Syrian Government insisted or stipulated before agreeing to the protocol?

Secretary-General: I have taken note of President Obama’s statement.  And I appreciate his efforts to have his future course of action based on the broad opinions of American people, particularly the Congress, and I hope this process will have a good result.  And as for other issues, I have clearly stated my positions on the other issues, pertaining to this chemical weapons use.

Question:  But who put the limits on the mandate?  Is it the Syrian Government?  What is the mandate of the team, of Sellström’s team, is not identified, so who put such limitations on the mandate?  Was it the Secretariat when it negotiated, was it the Syrian Government or was it the Security Council?

Secretary-General: This is the United Nations decision and my decision.  The mandate of this team is to determine the use of chemical weapons — whether there was or not the use of chemical weapons.  It’s not to determine who has used against whom.  We do not have that kind of mandate at this time.  So it’s not… one may think it is a limit, but this is based on the recognized standards of the international community.  We’ve been working very closely with the OPCW [Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] and the WHO [World Health Organization].