Int`l community should punish for massacre using chemical weapon

Since villages of anti-government militias at outskirts of Damascus in civil war-ravaged Syria got under chemical weapons attacks at dawn on May 6 this year, more than 1,300 people have been killed, news reports say. Video footages presented by militia showed bodies of people with no signs of bloods or scars as if they are sleeping, and victims who are struggling to survive, having difficulties breathing properly and leaking saliva, with their eyes having no sign of moment. Children are suffering from seizer and pain from short breathes. Chemical weapons experts in the West say that those victims are suspected of having been attacked with nerve gas such as sarin gas.

Syria is one of few countries that did not join the chemical weapons non-proliferation treaty, and has a massive volume of chemical weapons in stock. The Syrian government openly warned last year that if the West intervenes in its civil war, it would use chemical weapons. The U.N. dispatched an inspection team previously due to allegations of chemical weapons attack. In the wake of the latest incident, the international body sought to dispatch an inspection squad to the site, but the Syrian government blocked it. For now, the Syrian government is highly suspected to have used chemical weapons, which the country claims is a plot by the militia. More than anything, the truth about the suspected attacks should be uncovered first.

Syrian militias whose compositions are complicated include anti-American armed forces that are linked with the terrorist group Al Qaeda. U.S. President Barack Obama, who has been reluctant to make military intervention in Syria for that reason, warned that he would not tolerate when it comes to chemical weapons use. If the Syrian government is confirmed to have used chemical weapons, Washington would not afford to leave the government unchecked.

The international community’s response to Syrian civil war that has left more than 100,000 people dead has been lukewarm at best. The U.N. Security Council demanded Syria for explanations, but failed to designate the U.N. inspection team as a body in charge of the incident’s investigation. Among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Russia and China have constantly opposed imposing sanctions against Syria. If they agree on the stance not to tolerate chemical weapons use, these two countries should cooperate in uncovering the truth about the suspected use of chemical weapons at least this time around.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday, “Under any circumstance, the use of chemical weapons is violation of international law and a crime against humanity.” Like Syria, North Korea is not a member of the treaty banning chemical weapons and possesses a multiple number of chemical weapons. Some watchers claim that Syria and North Korea have cooperated comprehensively in weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. The international community should demonstrate that those who commit massacres using chemical weapons are punished without fail.