8 September 2013
The New York Times reports that over the past decades, Syria amassed stockpiles of chemical weapons with the help from the Soviet Union, China, Czechoslovakia and Iran, as well as Western European and American suppliers.
Source: The New York Times | With the World Watching, Syria Amassed Nerve Gas
6 September 2013
The Dutch Supreme Court held today, on 6 September, that the Netherlands is responsible for the death of three Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995.
The three men had sought refuge in the compound of Dutchbat, the Dutch battalion, who decided to not evacuate these men along with the battalion. Instead, these men were sent away from the compound, where they were murdered by the Bosnian-Serb army or connected paramilitary groups. The Supreme Court upheld the findings of the Court of Appeal, both in respect of attribution of the conduct to the Netherlands and in respect of the wrongfulness of the conduct.
The press release (in English) can be found here.
A blog post highlighting the most important sections of the judgment and explaining the two central issues, attribution and wrongful conduct, will be posted on this website shortly.
Source: Hoge Raad der Nederlanden | Nieuws | State responsible for death of three Muslim men in Srebrenica
2 September 2013
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon echoed the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in his 2013 Freedom Lecture delivered at Leiden University on the anniversary of Mr. King’s ‘I have a dream speech’ on 28 August, noting that Mr. King had presented a common future with shared responsibilities.
Mr. Ban, quoting a passage from Mr. King’s speech where he emphasised that ‘their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom’, stated that this understanding was even truer today as our freedoms, possibilities and perils today are linked like never before. Mr. Ban also emphasised the interdependency between development, peace and security and human rights, and encouraged world leaders to make sure no person is left behind.
Source: UN News Centre | In university lecture, Ban notes shared responsibility to protect rights, freedoms
29 August 2013
The BBC reported that the United Kingdom is going to present a resolution to the UN Security Council that would authorise ‘all necessary measures to protect civilians’ in Syria. Foreign Policy reported that the British move, unlikely to win support in the Security Council, is a diplomatic move intended to define the coalition of states that would be willing to strike against Syria.
The move comes after NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters that those responsible for chemical weapons use must be held accountable and that NATO would keep the Syrian situation under close review. According to the NYT, the United States is considering a range of actions against Syria, including missile strikes, designed to ‘deter and degrade’ the ability of the Assad regime to use chemical weapons.
Source: BBC | Syria crisis: UK puts forward UN proposal
Source: Foreign Policy | Morning Brief: UK Goes to Security Council for Syria Resolution
Source: The New York Times | Obama Weighs ‘Limited’ Strikes Against Syrian Forces
Source: Al Jazeera | NATO vows to 'answer' alleged Syria attack
28 August 2013
Foreign Policy reported on recently declassified CIA files that reveal that the United States provided assistance to Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war despite having knowledge of chemical weapons use by Saddam Hussein’s military.
According to the report, the CIA documents and former US intelligence officials confirm that the US had firm evidence of chemical weapons attacks beginning in 1983, but the Reagan administration nevertheless continued to provide assistance, including satellite imagery, to Iraq. Previous reports had indicated that the US had suspected the use of chemical weapons, but the declassified documents reveal that US officials were regularly informed on the scale of nerve gas attacks, which according to the FP report, amounts to American complicity in Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons attacks.
The US has denied acquiescing to Iraq’s chemical weapons attacks, and the CIA declined to comment for the FP report.
Source: Foreign Policy | Exclusive: CIA Files Prove America Helped Saddam as He Gassed Iran