- Title: SERBIA: UN's Ban Ki-Moon voices concern on Syria chemical weapons.
- Date: 23rd July 2012
- Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA (JULY 23, 2012) (REUTERS) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE WITH SERBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VUK JEREMIC (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "I have read that kind of possibility that Syria may be tempted to use chemical weapons, but I am not able to verify that kind of things. It is true that
- Embargoed: 7th August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Serbia
- Country: Serbia
- Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA86EXTJN39WUMPT0JMEYKDWWBK
- Story Text: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it would be "reprehensible" for Damascus to use chemical weapons and says the international community must remain vigilant to prevent weapons of mass destruction being used for warfare.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday (July 23) he was concerned about the risk of Syria using chemical weapons after Damascus warned it could deploy its arsenal of them if it felt threatened by foreign intervention.
Speaking at a news conference in the Serbian capital Belgrade Ban said it would be "reprehensible" for Damascus to use chemical weapons.
"I have read that kind of possibility that Syria may be tempted to use chemical weapons, but I am not able to verify that kind of things. It is true that Syria has a considerable amount of chemical weapons and what is a concern is that they are not the parties to OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons)," said the U.N. chief, adding:
"All the countries they have an obligation not to use any weapons of mass destruction, whether they are parties or not (tied to) to any convention or agreement. It would be reprehensible if anybody in Syria is contemplating use of such weapons of mass destruction, like chemical weapons. I sincerely hope that the international community keeps an eye on this so that there would be no such things happen."
Syria acknowledged for the first time on Monday that it had chemical and biological weapons, saying they would not be used against rebels but could be used against forces from outside the country.
As violence escalates in the 16-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, insurgents say they fear his forces will resort to non-conventional weapons as they seek to claw back rebel gains across the country.
"I am emphasising again, and I am urging again all the parties, both Syrian government forces and opposition forces that they must stop the fighting. They must stop using violent means in addressing this situation," Ban Ki-moon said.
Ban said U.N. Under-secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous and top U.N. military adviser Gen. Babacar Gaye were leaving for Syria on Monday to assess the situation on the ground.
He said Gaye would take over from Gen. Robert Mood in charge of the U.N. monitoring mission in Syria, which the U.N. Security Council voted on Friday (July 20) to extend for 30 days under a faltering peace plan by international envoy Kofi Annan.
International pressure on Assad has escalated dramatically in the last week with a rebel offensive in the two biggest cities and a bomb attack which killed four members of his inner circle in Damascus.
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