This site collects anonymous statistical data on navigation through cookies installed by authorized third parties, respecting privacy of your personal data and in accordance with standards established by law. By continuing to browse this site, clicking on links in it or simply shaking the page down, you agree to the service and the same cookie.

A+ A A-
19-09-2013

SYRIA, UN CONFIRMS CHEMICAL WEAPONS ENPLOYMENT: NOW WHAT?

Rate this item
(5 votes)

«On the basis of the evidence obtained during our investigation […] the conclusion is that, on 21 August 2013, chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilian, including children […] The environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent Sarin were used». These are UN’s inspectors’ conclusions contained in an expected 41 pages-report on August slaughter in Damascus.

None has been directly accused in the report, nevertheless Assad appears to be attack’s perpetrator given various verifications. Two are the relevant elements in the matter: the rocket’s likely trajectory and stabilizing chemical agents’ traces. Observing different sites UN inspectors deduced that the strike should be started from the north-west of Damascus, an area controlled by the army; and the chemical agents presence reveals that the rockets should have been assembled and kept in a monitored storage facility thus discarding the homemade bomb hypothesis.

These evidences have reinforced the international anti-Assad front: UN British ambassador Mark Lyall Grant declared that «there is no remaining doubt it was the regime that used chemical weapons», on the same line French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius speaking about the Sarin attack said that «it seems to leave no doubt that the regime is behind it», and last but not least US Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed that «should diplomacy fail, the military option is still on the table».

However, in practice the pacific and diplomatic solution seems to be an uphill road since, while the Washington-London-Paris axis blames Assad’s regime without reserve, China promises «a thorough review» on UN report and Russia let her doubts be known untrusting report’s analysis and asserting that no decision on military action should be taken without previously analysing every single evidence collected on August 21 events. The game is still on. 

© All rights reserved

Alessandro Mazzilli

Degree in International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Turin.

Expert in Foreign Policy of Defence and Security and the relationships Euro - Atlantic.

Geopolitical analyst.

Consultant Services Stuarding and security checks.

Geoeconomia

Eversione e Terrorismo

Geopolitica

Risorse Energetiche

Cyber Warfare

Copyright CEOS 2012 - 2015. All rights reserved.