EU urges Syria to stop using chemical weapons

The foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU) Catherine Ashton on Friday urgently urges Syria not to use chemical weapons in the country. "I fully support the UN's call for a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation into these alleged chemical attacks," said Ashton in her statement. She called for the international community to find out a political solution to the Syrian conflict in "high urgency", and act with a sense of urgency and responsibility. "The international community must now urgently show a united face and ensure that a credible and thorough investigation can be carried out," Ashton said. "Without further delay we must move forward on a diplomatic process along the lines of the initiative for a Geneva II conference as initiated by (US) Secretary of State Kerry and (Russian) Foreign Minister Lavrov," she added. "We must move beyond our differences," she said, "We owe it to the Syrian people who are the ones suffering. The shocking number of children forced to flee Syria and displaced within the country is heart-breaking."