UN envoy demands accountability in Syria attack

United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura is calling for the perpetrators of a suspected chemical attack in northern Syria to be held accountable for the “horrific” attack.

De Mistura calls for “clear identification of responsibilities and accountability.”

Speaking on the eve of a conference on Syria’s future, he says “every time we have a moment in which the international community is capable of being together — 70 countries tomorrow — there is someone, somehow, that tries to undermine that feeling of hope by producing a feeling of horror and outrage.”

But, he says, “we are not going to give up.”

De Mistura goes to add the UN believes the attack was chemical and that it was launched from the air.

“What we have understood, it was a chemical attack and it came from the air,” he says.

— Agencies