UN secretary general receives Syria report

New York – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received the final report of the United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria.

“I have not read the report, but will do so immediately after this briefing. The report will be posted shortly on the we! bsite of the Office for Disarmament Affairs,” Ban said after receiving the report Thursday night.

“My Spokesperson will ensure the link is sent and tweeted as soon as possible. Tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, I will brief the General Assembly, and Monday I will brief the Security Council,” he added.

Stating that much has happened since the first allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria in March of this year, he said the Syrian Government acknowledged that it possessed chemical weapons and subsequently joined the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“The use of chemical weapons is a grave violation of international law and an affront to our shared humanity. We need to remain vigilant to ensure that these awful weapons are eliminated, not only in Syria, but everywhere,” Ban said.