Washington, London and Paris declare their willingness to hold Damascus accountable for a "new chemical attack"

The United States, Britain and France announced Friday their willingness to take "firm and urgent" measures if the Syrian authorities resume the use of chemical weapons in the country.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the British Jeremy Hunt and the French Jean-Yves Laudrian said in a statement on the occasion of two years of "horrific chemical attacks in Khan Sheikhan, almost a year after the Duma attack, "of the three countries" And affirms its firm resolve to respond appropriately to any use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. "

According to the statement, "there can be no denying the history of the repeated use by this regime of this type of weapons against its people," stressing that the United States, Britain and the United States France are held responsible.

"The Assad regime has been shielded from immediate responsibility for the continued use of chemical weapons, particularly at the UN Security Council, with the dismantling of a mechanism of violence. 39, independent investigation designed to attribute responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, "said the government.

"Responsible States commit themselves to maintaining the prohibition of chemical weapons and to ensuring that those who use them seek to use or protect them are not unpunished, in particular by strengthening the environment. 39; Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. "

According to the statement, the conflict in Syria can only be resolved "by a credible and negotiated political settlement". The Assad regime should not repeat the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The ministers of the three countries concluded by stating: "There should be no doubt in our determination to act with force and speed if the Assad regime used these weapons again in the future".

In mid-April 2018, the alleged chemical attack in the city of Douma, in the eastern province of Damascus, served as a pretext for the United States, Britain, and France to launch a series of strikes against targets of the Syrian government.

Moscow announced from the outset that the attack was fabricated and the Russian Reconciliation Center confirmed that its doctors had gone to the site of the alleged attack two days later and were not allowed to return. found no signs of toxic substances on the local population.

In April 2017, US forces bombed the military airfield in the Homs countryside, after accusing the Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons in the city of Khan Sheikun, in the rural area of ​​?? 39; Idib.

Damascus rejected US accusations of the use of chemical weapons and considered the US strikes as an aggression against Syrian sovereignty.

Source: US State Department website + agencies