UNSC sees video of use of chlorine gas in Syria

Members of the UN Security Council held a closed meeting yesterday to hear testimonies related to the use of chlorine gas in Syria.

During the meeting, a video showing the death of three children, aged one, two and three, was shown. They had died following the effects of chlorine gas on the town of Sarmin, in the suburbs of Idlib, on 16 March 16th.

Dr Zaher Sahloul, president of the Syrian American Medical Society, told journalists that all of the members of the Security Council, with the exception of Russia, China and Venezuela, expressed their desire to hold those responsible for the attack accountable. He called on the international community to take action.

Sahloul also added that a number of the Security Council ambassadors were brought to tears as they watched. He stressed that it was important for them to turn these feelings into actions.

Both Sahloul and Dr Muhammad Tanari, who also gave his testimony during the meeting, said that they will visit the Russian ambassador to the UN in order to urge him not to use his country’s veto against international resolutions that include measures against the Syrian regime.

After the meeting, US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said that the meeting was “very emotional” and that “if there was a dry eye in the room I didn’t see it”. She also stressed the need for the Council to overcome its divisions and to take measures against the Syrian regime’s chemical attacks.

Last month, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons and stressing that measures will be taken against those using them. However, no mechanism to determine who is launching such attacks was specified.

The parties in the Syrian crisis are blaming each other for being behind the chlorine gas attacks. However, the Western countries say that helicopters were used in the attacks and that the Syrian military is the only party in the conflict that possess them.