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STORY: UN / SYRIA CHEMICAL WEAPONS
TRT: 2:14
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 23 MAY 2017, NEW YORK CITY
RECENT
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
DATELINE: 23 MAY 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council meeting
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations:
“FFM team conducted a non-destructive evaluation and sampling of a mortar reported to be connected to the alleged incident. This mortar was handed over to the team by experts by the Russian Federation’s Chemical Biological, Nuclear and Radiological CBOCBRN team. Laboratory analysis indicated that this mortar contained sulphur mustard.”
4. Cutaway, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations:
“The team also received biological environmental samples from dead animals reported to be close to the site of the incident and received environmental samples from close to the suspected impact point. The team attended the autopsies of three alleged victims, witnessed the extraction of bio-medical samples from those bodies and received autopsy reports. As has director-general announced already, the analysis of samples showed exposure to sarin or sarin-like substance.”
6. Wide shot, meeting
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations:
“The use of chemical weapons by any party, government forces, terrorist groups, or armed opposition groups for that matter cannot be and will not be justified, regardless of provocation or any circumstances. Their re-emergence is indefensible and cannot be viewed as anything other than a violation of the most basic international law and a serious deviation from the internationally agreed broader path towards the goal of a world free of chemical weapons.”
8. Wide shot, meeting
The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told Security Council that the re-emergence of chemical weapons in Syria “is indefensible and cannot be viewed as anything other than a violation of the most basic international law.”
Briefing the United Nations Security Council Tuesday (23 May) Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) has found evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria on two occasions.
High Representative said that in case of the attack on 16 September 2016, on a site in Aleppo area, “FFM team conducted a non-destructive evaluation and sampling of a mortar reported to be connected to the alleged incident. This mortar was handed over to the team by experts by the Russian Federation’s Chemical Biological, Nuclear and Radiological CBOCBRN team. Laboratory analysis indicated that this mortar contained sulphur mustard.”
Second incident took place on 4 April this year in Khan Sheikun in Idlib province.
Nakamitsu said the FFM interviewed survivors of the attack and has also “received biological environmental samples from dead animals reported to be close to the site of the incident and received environmental samples from close to the suspected impact point. The team attended the autopsies of three alleged victims, witnessed the extraction of bio-medical samples from those bodies and received autopsy reports.”
She further said “the analysis of samples showed exposure to sarin or sarin-like substance.”
The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs concluded her briefing by saying “the use of chemical weapons by any party, government forces, terrorist groups, or armed opposition groups for that matter cannot be and will not be justified, regardless of provocation or any circumstances” and that the re-emergence of chemical weapons in Syria “is indefensible and cannot be viewed as anything other than a violation of the most basic international law.”
