Syria chemical attack - UN needs to do more than condemn

THE UN is in danger of becoming as irrelevant and ineffectual as the League of Nations that preceded it — able to condemn atrocities but not halt them. The chemical attack in Syria, most likely by government forces, is the most recent example.

At least 72 civilians, including 20 children, died in the attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun. All evidence points to the culpability of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, yet all that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres did was to note that the attack shows war crimes continue in Syria and to call for an investigation into who was responsible.

“The horrific events of yesterday demonstrate unfortunately that war crimes are going on in Syria. International humanitarian law is being violated frequently,” Mr Guterres said as he went into a Syria aid conference in Brussels.