UN Security Council calls for mechanism to probe chemical weapons use in Syria

UNITED NATIONS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned the continued use of chemical weapons in Syria and repeated their call for a mechanism to hold those responsible accountable for their acts.

A Security Council-mandated joint investigative mechanism for chemical weapons use in Syria ceased to function in last November as Russia vetoed the extension of its mandate.

Members of the Security Council, which held closed-door consultations on Tuesday over the chemical weapons issue in Syria, reaffirmed that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law and reiterated that those individuals, entities, groups or government responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held accountable, Dutch ambassador to the United Nations Karel van Oosterom, who is president of the Security Council for the month of March, told reporters.

They reiterated their support for the work of the Fact-Finding Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and stressed the need for joint efforts to ensure that the mission can continue its work independently, said van Oosterom.

Ahmet Uzumcu, Director-General of the OPCW who briefed the Security Council, said there are several new allegations of chlorine attacks in Syria.

The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria is looking into the alleged incidents, some of which are attributed to the Syrian government and some others are attributed to armed opposition groups, he told reporters. Enditem