Syria

The use of chemical weapons is a serious crime against humanity and those responsible have to be brought to justice, no matter how difficult and long the process will be. It calls for certain knowledge and firm evidence of what has been used and by whom. Accusations and counter-accusations are legion and they all have to be reliably investigated, bearing in mind that there must note a repetition of resorting to force on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations that later proved to be false.Unfortunately the UN Security Council has so far been unable to shoulder its responsibility under the UN Charter. Pressures for unilateral action will grow. Everything that now will happen has to be evaluated in the first hand on the basis on whether it will strengthen and speed or weaken and slow the possibilities for a political solution. There is no military solution either from inside or outside Syria that could stop the sufferings of the Syrian people, which have already resulted in the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the Millennium.Finland stands ready to put its expertise on chemical weapons detection and disarmament at the disposal of the UN. We also want to retain our possibility to act if and when there will be a need for a strong UN peace-keeping operation in the country.28.8.2013