Male’; The Government of Maldives is shocked by the UN expert teams’ findings that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large scale in Syria, resulting in numerous casualties, particularly among innocent civilians including many children.
The Government of Maldives condemns in the strongest possible terms this horrific act and the blatant violation of international laws. The Government of Maldives calls upon all concerned to hold accountable, those who are responsible for this crime against humanity.
The Government of Maldives welcomes the accession of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. The Government of Maldives also welcomes the agreement reached on 14 September 2013 between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on a framework for the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria. The international community has a responsibility to ensure that chemical weapons can never be used as an instrument of warfare.
The Government of Maldives reiterates its call to both sides involved in the Syrian conflict to immediately cease all violence and to reach a negotiated settlement.
