Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria, commenting five days after a reported attack killed hundreds near Damascus, the Associated Press reported. While both sides of the conflict accuse the other of carrying out the attack, a senior U.S. official said over the week that signs point to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.
"This is about the large scale, indiscriminate use of weapons that the civilized world long ago decided must never be used at all, a conviction shared even by countries that agree on little else," Kerry said at the State Department on Monday. "There is a clear reason that the world has banned entirely the use of chemical weapons."
Pressure continues to mount for the U.S. and Europe to take action against Assad's regime as more than 100,000 people have died as well as one million child refugees, United Nations estimates have given.
"What is before us today is real and it is compelling. What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world." His statements come as nations like Russia and China are expected to reject calls for military intervention. Other Security Council members, England and France, have expressed outrage and are leaning toward stopping pro-Assad forces. The secretary of state told those who have not condemned the attack (like Russia and China) to "check their conscience and their own moral compass. This international norm cannot be violated without consequences," he said.
Last year, Obama warned that al-Assad must not use chemical weapons, calling such an action a "red line," which may prompt military action. Syria reportedly used chemical weapons in a smaller attack earlier this year.
"President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people," Kerry said.
Earlier Monday, unidentified snipers opened fire on a convoy of UN experts investigating chemical weapons attacks in Damascus, as reported by the BBC. Syrian state media have blamed opposition "terrorists" for the attack. The sniper attack against U.N. inspectors "only further weakens the regime's credibility," Kerry added.
"The international community is moving swiftly in getting facts on what did happen and getting the intelligence right and all the other factors that go into a decision will be made swiftly and should be made swiftly," Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said over the weekend. This comes as the U.S. is mulling the options for punitive strike by the allies against Syria, perhaps using laser cruise missiles sent from navy ships in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
