A conference to restart Syria peace talks turned into a discussion on the suspected April 4 chemical weapon attack.
When EU and Mideast foreign ministers made a plan to meet in Brussels Wednesday, April 5, to seek a solution for Syria, none could foresee that the only real topic of conversation would be yet another incident of chemical weapons being turned on Syrian people by their own government.
“The Syrian conflict has to end,” said Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri.
“We saw what the regime did yesterday, another atrocity, the world should not be shocked because it’s letting such a regime do what it’s doing.
“What should shock us is the increase of children dying and the whole world is watching,” he said.
Some ministers still pleaded for peace.
“What we have seen yesterday has horrified all of us. I can say this as a politician but first of all as a mother,” said U Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.
“The images we have seen yesterday from Syria remind us all that here we have a responsibility to unite for real with a serious engagement the international community, the regional players but also the Syrian parties to make peace,” she said.
The British and French ministers renewed their calls for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to be ousted.
“This is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be an authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over,” said British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. “I simply don’t see how that could happen.”
Assad’s status has been the insoluble issue holding up peace talks.
Assad is supported by Russia and Iran militarily and politically. With this support, Assad has survived six years of civil war. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have not survived.
Russia sits on the U.N. Security Council, and with this power, has prevented any real measures to depose or even discipline Assad.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel pleaded with Russia to reconsider.
“I think that the people know very well that those suffering are children, families and completely ordinary people,” he said. “We are convinced that war criminals and war crimes have to be punished.
“We find it right that the United Nations Security Council is dealing with this case of poisonous gas today. We appeal to Russia to support this Security Council resolution, to investigate the incident and to hold to account those responsible.”
This is not the first time Assad’s regime has been accused of using chemical weapons on its own people. The first came in 2013, but NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement Wednesday, “This is the third report of the use of these barbaric weapons in the last month alone.”
The UN Security Council will meet Wednesday to address the latest gas attack.
