CRI听力:UN Security Council Adopts Resolution on Syria Chemical Weapons Probe

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-body council " reiterates that no party in Syria should use, develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer chemical weapons."

The council also says that those responsible for any use of chemicals as weapons must be held accountable.

Within 20 days of adoption, the UN chief and the head of the Organization For the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will submit to the Security Council recommendations for a Joint Investigative Mechanism to identify the perpetrators.

Permanent UN representative of Syria Bashar Ja'afari has called for the investigations to be fair and transparent:

"The government of the Syrian Arab Republic reaffirms that neutrality, transparency, credibility, integrity and removal from politicisation. These must be the guiding principles of the activities of the mechanism created by the resolution."

US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power says the adoption of the resolution represents only a modest step forward.

"When the day comes, and it will come someday, that we have an effective accountability mechanism, this evidence gathered by the Joint Investigative Mechanism, the identification of these perpetrators will become very, very important. So this is not a panacea by any means. It is a modest step. It fills a gap in the international system."

China's permanent representative to the UN Liu Jieyi reiterates that China's position on the chemical weapons issue is clear and consistent.

"We resolutely oppose anyone to use chemical weapons under any circumstances. We are concerned about the use of chlorine gas as a weapon in Syria as confirmed by OPCW findings. We suport fair, objective and professional investigations into these incidents and bring those perpetrators to justice based on concrete evidences."

Liu also notes political settlement is the only way out for the Syrian issue.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution in 2013 requiring the verification and destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles after the war-torn Middle East country agreed to join the Chemical Weapons Convention.

A fact-finding mission of the Hague-based OPCW was established in April 2014 to investigate chlorine attacks in Syria.

It has published three reports saying that toxic chemicals, most likely pulmonary irritating agents such as chlorine, have been used "repeatedly and systematically" as a weapon in the Syria conflict.

The Syrian government and the rebels have accused each other of using chemical agents, including chlorine, in the nearly four-year war that has killed more than 210,000 people.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.