Use of chemical weapons in Syria: Europeans “gravely concerned”. Yes Yes !

(BRUSSELS2) Time passes and does its work. The possibility of the use of chemical weapons in Syria has provoked a wave of reactions at the level of the European Ministers for Foreign Affairs meeting today in Brussels to the point that it has, somewhat, eclipsed the main subject of the exceptional meeting: the situation in Egypt.

An investigation of the facts

Most of the ministers present therefore called for a full and complete investigation into these facts. " It's horrible said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius. " International offices must investigate and establish (these) facts after information reported by agencies (notably AFP) relaying statements by the Syrian opposition saying that 1300 people were killed in chemical attacks. Same concern for his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle: “ UN teams must be granted immediate access to investigate allegations at the site”.

The authors will be held responsible...

But the tone is far below previous statements, all vibrant with a possible reaction, "by any means possible". The Frenchman Laurent Fabius thus also asked for the " full light on the alleged use of chemical weapons " and " sentenced " those deadly attacks “attributed to the Syrian regime ". " The perpetrators of these intolerable acts must be held responsible " he added. But no mention of a "red line" crossed, or of a possible reaction as before.

And the incident will be reported to the UN Security Council

The same sense of appropriateness of restraint was shown by his British colleague, who was also one of those to call loudest for a major reaction. " I am deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of people, including children, have been killed in airstrikes and a chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas near Damascus “Explains William Hague, the head of British diplomacy” These reports are uncorroborated and we are urgently seeking more information. But it is clear that if they are verified, it would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria. But the only two possibilities are the responsibility of the authors (without specifying the nature of this responsibility) and referral to the UN Security Council. " Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them, should be in no doubt that we will work in every way we can to hold them to account. I call on the Syrian Government to allow immediate access to the area for the UN team currently investigating previous allegations of chemical weapons use. The UK will be raising this incident at the UN Security Council. »

NB: an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council has been decided and will be held this afternoon in New York (21 p.m. in Brussels)