The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has responded to a report on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, calling on the international community to place sanctions on those responsible.
Speaking to the General Assembly on Friday, Ban Ki-Moon stated,
"I deplore in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in Syria, which is an offence against the universal values of humankind”.
He went on to add,
"The international community has a moral and political responsibility to hold accountable those responsible to deter further incidents and ensure that chemical weapons can never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare".
The report, compiled by UN inspectors earlier this week, confirmed the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but did not have the mandate to apportion blame on the attacks.
‘Clear and convincing’ evidence of chemical weapons attack – UN (13 December 2013)