Belgium: UN report shows Assad regime responsible for chemical weapons.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders Tuesday welcomed the report of the United Nations on the circumstances of the chemical attack of August 21 in Syria. This report now provides irrefutable evidence that hundreds of civilians, including many children who died on August 21, have been victims of a chemical attack, he said in a statement tonight. The international community should draw political conclusions of the inquiry and bring all those responsible for the war crimes before the International Criminal Court, he said. "The elements contained in the report leave little doubt as to the direct responsibility of armed forces loyal to President Assad in the massacre," stressed Reynders. As a member of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Belgium intends to contribute actively, he said. Reynders instructed the Belgian permanent representative to work for the adoption as soon as possible - if possible this week - a decision that is up to the challenge. This decision must determine special procedures that enable rapid neutralization of the entire Syrian chemical arsenal. This decision must be reinforced by a resolution of the Security Council. To ensure the credibility of the process, Belgium hopes that the Security Council could agree on a binding resolution, preferably within the framework of Chapter VII. The adoption of such a resolution would provide the best guarantee of maintaining pressure vis-a-vis the Syrian regime and limit the subsequent risk of a new division in the Security Council, he added.