WEB DESK
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on the suspected use of chemical weapons in Syria, at the request of the United States and 8 other countries. The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, took part in the meeting via a video link from Switzerland. He denounced the alleged use of chemical weapons as a grave violation of international law.
He urged the Security Council to immediately launch an independent investigation into the allegations. The Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, criticized the Western nations. He said they are putting all the blame on Russia, and its ally Syria, without providing any evidence.
Nebenzia said that Syria and the Russian military are prepared to guide a team of investigators, from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to the site of the suspected gas attack.
The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, warned that the use of chemical weapons is becoming normalized in the world. She urged the Security Council to hold the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad accountable. She added that the world must see justice done.