毫無疑問,8月21日,敘利亞首都大馬士革的一個不安定郊區古塔的平民遭到了化學武器攻擊。
而任何仔細審查的事實都這可憎行為背後的元兇指向了敘利亞政府。
“我們知道,敘利亞政權的維持保管這些化學武器的權利,“國務卿約翰·克裡說道:
“我們知道,敘利亞政權憑藉這些火箭可以為所欲為。
我們知道,這個政權已經決心從那些攻擊發生的場所清除反對派。
而我們的親眼所見讓我們大家就成了證人。”
“這次攻擊的意義超越了敘利亞已經造成如此多可怕痛苦的衝突本身,”克裡說道。
“這是牽涉武器大規模、濫用，文明世界很久以前就決定決不使用—甚至很少有一致意見的國家都達成共識認為這是一種罪行。”
第一次世界大戰期間雙方第一次投入使用的這些武器造成可怕的後果,那些受到攻擊存活下來的人變得外形猙獰,往往終生殘疾毀容。
經決定再也不想親眼目睹這樣對於人類而言一種恐怖的使用,
國際社會通過 1925年的日內瓦協定的實施禁止使用化學及生化武器,而敘利亞就是其中一個簽約國。
“這就是為什麼世界已經完全禁止使用化學武器的明確原因。
這也就是為什麼國際社會已經明確標準而且許多國家已經採取了重大措施來廢除這些武器的個中緣由。
這同樣也就是為什麼奧巴馬總統如此這般重要對待阻止這些武器核擴散及對它們確實存在的地方實施封鎖的原因。”克裡說道。
“毫無疑問:奧巴馬總統認為必須讓那些使用世界上最令人髮指的武器對抗世界上最脆弱者的人承擔責任。
現今沒有什麼比這更為重要，沒有什麼比更為嚴苛的審查更為重要”。
There is no doubt that on August 21st, the civilian population of Ghouta, a restive suburb of Syria's capital, Damascus, was attacked with chemical weapons.
And any careful review of the facts leads to the conclusion that the Syrian government was behind this heinous act.
“We know that the Syrian regime maintains custody of these chemical weapons,” said Secretary of State John Kerry:
“We know that the Syrian regime has the capacity to do this with rockets.
We know that the regime has been determined to clear the opposition from those very places where the attacks took place.
And with our own eyes, we have all of us become witnesses.”
“The meaning of this attack goes beyond the conflict in Syria itself, and that conflict has already brought so much terrible suffering,” said Secretary Kerry.
“This is about the large-scale, indiscriminate use of weapons that the civilized world long ago decided must never be used at all-a conviction shared even by countries that agree on little else.”
First used by both sides during World War One, these weapons caused horrible suffering, and those who survived an attack were frequently disfigured, often crippled for life.
Determined never again to witness the use of such a horror against human beings,
the international community banned the use of chemical and biological weapons through the implementation of the Geneva Protocol of 1925, to which Syria is a signatory.
“There is a clear reason that the world has banned entirely the use of chemical weapons.
There is a reason the international community has set a clear standard and why many countries have taken major steps to eradicate these weapons.
There is a reason why President Obama has made it such a priority to stop the proliferation of these weapons and lock them down where they do exist,” said Secretary Kerry.
“Make no mistake: President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people.
Nothing today is more serious and nothing is receiving more serious scrutiny.”
