Foreign Ministers of seven States pledged “their countries will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons in Syria” and expressed “deep regret at the failure of the Security Council to fulfill its role and protect civilians in this country”.
This came in a joint statement issued by the seven foreign ministers, after a closed meeting, on Thursday evening, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The seven countries are the United States of America, Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan.
In their statement, the Ministers stressed “the urgent need for a political solution to Syria, based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254”.
“The Syrian conflict has entered its ninth year, millions have been forcibly displaced, and in recent months alone, more than 1,000 people have been killed and some 600,000 have been forced to flee their homes, and we deeply regret that the Security Council has once again failed to unite to protect them,” they said.
“We call for an immediate ceasefire in Idlib (northwest) and no chemical weapons should be tolerated, and we call on all parties to ensure that they comply with their obligations under international law.”
The statement stressed that “there can be no military solution to the Syrian crisis, only a political settlement, and without it, Syria will remain weak, poor and unstable, and therefore we strongly support Security Council resolution 2254, a long-awaited positive step, but still requires serious commitment even Succeed.”
In their statement, the seven States welcomed the announcement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, mid-week, of the formation of the Constitutional Commission, and urged that it begin to discuss the main issues relating to its mandate as soon as possible.”
The statement stressed “the importance of accountability in any efforts to achieve a sustainable, comprehensive and peaceful solution to the conflict and to ensure that all perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable”.