President of the Syrian Coalition Abdul Rahman Mustafa sent a letter to British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson stressing that the failure of the international community had encouraged the use of chemical weapons on both Syrian and British territory.
“It is with great shock and outrage that we have received the news of Russia’s use of chemical weapons on British soil on March 4, 2018 to target former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent,” the letter said.
Mustafa stressed that “the use of this weapon, which is banned under International Law, including in wartime, constitutes a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the United Kingdom and poses a threat to social peace and security. Moreover, the proliferation and use of chemical weapons constitute a serious threat to international peace and security.”
“The side responsible for use of chemical weapons in the United Kingdom and in Syria as well as the perpetrator of crimes and massacres against civilians is one.”
Mustafa went on: “The failure of the international community to respond to the ongoing violations of human rights and International Law as well as its failure to shoulder its responsibilities to maintain international peace and security are encouraging the Iranian, and Assad regimes to carry on with their crimes, most notably the use of internationally prohibited weapons.”
Mustafa stressed that that Russia should be dealt with, at the political and legal levels in the UNSC, as a party to the conflict on the side of the Assad regime against the Syrian people. “Russia is the effective leader of all military operations in Syria with all its consequences, including the continuous use of chemical weapons by the regime.”
“Russia and Iran are supporting a regime that has long lost all legitimacy to rule.”
Mustafa underscored that there was “a legal and political connections between the use of chemical weapons in Syria and their recent use in the United Kingdom.”
Moreover, Mustafa reiterated that the Coalition was “committed to put all of its efforts and resources to eliminate all forms of terrorism, and its root causes, extremism and which is inflamed by the acts and crimes of the Assad regime.”
Mustafa expressed deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to the government and people of the United Kingdom for their “honorable positions in support of the Syrian Revolution and the Syrian people who have been subjected to the most heinous crimes by the Assad regime and its allies. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)