International community must act on Syria

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, today took part in a meeting of the Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in Visby in Sweden. After the meeting the eight ministers expressed grave concern over the use of chemical weapons in Syria, condemned the use of chemical weapons in the strongest possible terms, and said that they are convinced a strong international reaction is required.

In their joint statement the foreign ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden expressed regret that the UN Security Council has proved unable to address the broader perspectives of the tragic situation in Syria. They called on the Security Council to unequivocally declare that any use of chemical weapons represents a grave violation of international law, and that appropriate measures must be taken, and those responsible be brought to justice.

Foreign Minister Sveinsson said that given the circumstances, it is urgent to ensure accountability in this serious situation and refer the matter to the International Criminal Court. „We believe it is important that the Security Council debates the conclusions of the UN inspection team who investigated the site of the alleged chemical attack, as well as any other information that may shed light on who is responsible for this attack,“ the Minister said.

He also urged individual members of the Security Council to put aside political interests, and allow the people of Syria to enjoy the shelter the UN can and should offer to people in need. "Use of chemical weapons is illegal anywhere and at any time and the tragedy that has befallen the Syrian people must be stopped."

Statement of the foreign ministers and cover letter to the chair of the UN Security Council