Malta condemns chemical attacks in Syrian conflict
Vella: ‘Security Council must agree on measures to quell chemical attacks’
Malta has appealed to the members of the United Nations' Security Council to agree on measures against the use of chemical weapons by the Assad government on Syrian citizens, as the massacre on the civilian population by Bashir Assad's forces continues unabated.
Foreign minister George Vella today declared that such "atrocities" could no longer be tolerated "without consequences upon those who carry them out."
Although Vella said there was not yet "100% evidence" that the chemical attacks occurred under authority of Syrian dictator Bashir Assad, the minister said that "circumstantial evidence is pointing towards that direction".
"The Maltese government is appealing for agreement between Security Council members on the measures taken... it must be a decision borne of a mature discussion, and one that considers both immediate and long-term effects," Vella said.
"The government is conscious of the effects any such measure can have in the region. Malta is following these events closely, and as a member of the international community, will be participating fully in the fight against chemical armaments, in accordance to its international obligations and constitutional principles."
Vella said the government was shocked at the brutal death of civilians in chemical attacks. "We have witnessed, from our homes, macabre scenes of people hanging on to dear life as they fight for their last gasps of air. The Maltese government reminds that chemical weapons are banned from being deployed in any conflict and condemns the use of these weapons."



