Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: New sanctions against Syria - adequate measure against chemical weapons usage
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine supports the U.S. decision to impose a new package of sanctions against the Syrian high-ranking officials and research scientists associated with the Syrian program of mass destruction weapons, and consider it necessary to bring to justice those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
"Use of chemical weapons in Syria, confirmed in the reports of the Joint OPCW-UN mechanism of investigation, is a blatant violation of the international law and all found responsible for these crimes should be brought to justice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers the introduction of targeted sanctions by the U.S. in connection with the use of chemical weapons in Syria to be an adequate tool in this context," the Foreign Ministry's said on its website on Tuesday.
The Ministry said that being a non-permanent member of UN Security Council, Ukraine supports the need to introduce further restriction measures by the Council under provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter in response to the violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) on placement under international control and the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons program.
Ukraine has consistently advocated strict compliance with the provisions of key international instruments in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
As reported, on January 12, the U.S. Treasury Department announced the introduction of a new package of sanctions against 18 high-ranking members of the Armed Forces of Syria and research scientists associated with the Syrian program of mass destruction weapons. In addition to individual sanctions against senior Syrian military, the list included the army structures - Syria's air force, air defense forces of Syria, the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy and Syrian Arab Republican Guard.
"The Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against its own people is a heinous act that violates the longstanding global norm against the production and use of chemical weapons," the document says.
