Pentagon Says Weapons Used by US-Led Coalition in Syria Comply With Intl Norms

All weapons systems used by the US-led coalition in Syria comply with the Law of Armed Conflict, a Pentagon representative told Sputnik.

"As a matter of policy, the Coalition will not publicly discuss the use of specific weapons and munitions in operations. However, every weapons system in the US inventory undergoes a legal review to ensure the weapon complies with the Law of Armed Conflict," the representative said.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Saturday that the coalition had carried out an airstrike on the city of Hajin in Deir ez-Zor province, using the internationally prohibited white phosphorus munitions. According to Ikhbariya broadcaster, the airstrike led to civilian casualties. The use of white phosphorus munitions is banned under Additional Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

The US-led coalition is conducting military operations in Syria against the Daesh terrorist group. The coalition's strikes have not been authorized by the Syrian government or the United Nations.

Last year, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson told Sputnik that the US-led coalition has used white phosphorus only to screen and mark targets in Raqqa during the operation to liberate the Syrian city from the Daesh.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201810141068867809-usa-pentagon-us-led-coalition-military-operations-weapons-norms-syria/

EU to Formally Adopt on October 15 Sanctions Regime for Chemical Attacks - FCO

The EU leaders will formally adopt a sanctions regime on chemical weapons at the Foreign Affairs Council that will take place in Luxembourg on October 15, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said on Sunday in a press release obtained by Sputnik.

"A sanctions regime on chemical weapons, tabled by the UK and France in the wake of the Syria and Salisbury attacks, will be adopted formally tomorrow at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. This follows extensive lobbying efforts from the UK and close partners," the press release read.

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will meet with his counterparts from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania in his official residence before going to Luxembourg, according to the press release.

"The Foreign Secretary will use this momentum to ensure specific individuals and entities responsible for the use and proliferation of chemical weapons across the world are listed under the new sanctions regime swiftly. He will also tell counterparts at the FAC that discussions on a new cyber-related sanctions regime must now be accelerated," the press release noted.

Hunt said as quoted in the press release that these new sanctions "are vital but they are not the end of the story.”

"For years there has been an international taboo on the use of chemical weapons but that is at risk now after Syria and Salisbury. We now need to redraw the red line that says that for anyone using these horrific weapons the price will always be too high," he stressed.

On March 4, Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in the UK city of Salisbury. London claimed they were poisoned with what UK experts claimed was the A234 nerve agent, accusing Russia of orchestrating the attack.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in it. The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent some 60 diplomatic notes to the UK Foreign Office demanding that Russia be given access to the investigation and the Skripals, who have Russian citizenship, as well as proposing legal assistance and cooperation.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201810141068868226-eu-chemical-weapons-sanctions-regime-adoption/

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