By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel slammed Russia on Thursday for blocking a UN Security Council resolution in response to a chemical attack in northwestern Syria that reportedly killed dozens of people.
Speaking at a news conference in eastern German town of Bad Muskau, Merkel referred to Russia’s objection Wednesday to a draft resolution circulated by the U.S., U.K. and France.
“It is a disgrace, one has to say, that no agreement has been reached on a UN Security Council resolution. Those who refused it should also consider what responsibility they bear with this,” she said.
Tuesday’s chemical attack in northwestern Syrian town of Khan Shaykhun reportedly killed more than 100 civilians and injured 500 others, sparking an international outrage.
“This is a barbaric attack that must be cleared up. Using chemical weapons is a war crime. We must do everything to shed light on this,” she said.
“Regrettably, some indications point out that this attack was carried out by the al-Assad regime… also the bombardment of the hospital where victims were taken to for treatment,” she added.
Merkel said Germany will support efforts by other countries to fully investigate the incident.
UN Security Council members were at odds Wednesday, placing blame as they failed to respond to the chemical attack in northwestern Syria.
A planned vote on a resolution drafted by the U.S., U.K. and France never happened as Russia, a permanent member of the Council, vehemently objected to its wording as a “provocation” and its authors “irresponsible”. The draft resolution Tuesday called on the Bashar al-Assad regime to “cooperate fully” with the fact-finding mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The resolution notably asked the regime to provide the mission with wide-ranging military information, including flight plans and logs, information on helicopter squadrons and access to relevant military bases
