Germany calls for Syria regime to be punished for chemical attack

The German government yesterday called for the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad to be punished following its chemical weapons attack in Douma.

“The German government condemns in the strongest terms the use of poison gas again in Syria,” government spokesman, Stephan Zeibert, said in a press conference held in the capital Berlin, describing the regime’s actions as “abhorrent”.

“Those responsible for the use of poison gas and indiscriminate bombing of medical and civilian facilities should be held accountable,” he added.

The spokesman reiterated calls on the international community to punish the Syrian regime, saying: “This blatant violation of international law should not go unpunished … the circumstances indicate that the Assad regime is responsible for using poison gas.”

The spokesman blamed Russia and Iran for supporting the Syrian regime, stressing that without their backing the Syrian government would not have been able to continue its policy which is based solely on military solution to the conflict in Syria.

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“Russia must abandon its obstructive stance towards an international investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria,” he said.

Zeibert stressed the need to remove chemical weapons from the Assad regime’s hands it used the substance against its own people.

When asked if there was a specific plan in this regard, he replied that Germany would meet with allied countries to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Ministry spokesman, Rainer Breul, said such attacks should not remain unpunished.

On Saturday, as many 78 people were killed and hundreds were injured in a suspected chemical weapons attack on the town of Douma, the last opposition-controlled area in eastern Ghouta near Damascus, medical sources said.

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