NATO calls on UN to impose Chapter 7 measures on resolution on Syria

An extraordinary session of the NATO-Russia Council was held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels Tuesday to discuss Syria, urging UN Security Council to enforce Chapter VII if no chemical weapons were destroyed. "We welcomed the framework for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons agreed between the United States and Russia, called for expeditious agreement of a UN Security Council Resolution to ensure effective implementation of the framework, and noted the importance of the swift, secure and verifiable elimination of Syria's stocks of chemical weapons," said NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the chairman of the NATO-Russia Council in a statement. "As the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has made clear, the use of chemical weapons is a grave violation of the rules of international law and the international community must hold those responsible accountable," noted the statement. "The members of the NATO-Russia Council condemn the use of chemical weapons and expect full compliance with the demands of the international community. In the event of non-compliance the UN Security Council should impose measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, as stated in the framework agreement," it said. Under Chapter VII of the UN Charter the use of force is not excluded. "We continue to support all efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict in Syria," added the statement. The NATO-Russia Council was established at the NATO-Russia Summit in Rome on 28 May 2002 to serve as the principal body for advancing cooperation between the Alliance and Russia.