...an idea whose time has gone...
team investigating a chemical weapons attack last month in Syria has found that sarin was used.
"In particular, the environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Amalaka in the Ghouta area of Damascus," a 38-page report says.
Chemical weapons "were used on a relatively large scale," U.N. Secretary-General
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
said in a briefing to the U.N. Security Council.
It's "the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988," Ban said.
"This is a war crime and a grave violation of the1925 Protocol and other rules of customary international law. I trust all can join me in condemning this despicable crime. The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare."
The U.N. team's mandate did not include assigning blame for the attack. Ban would not speculate on who may be responsible.