Belgium pleads to end impunity at Syria conference in Brussels

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation of Belgium Alexander De Croo on Wednesday pleaded on behalf of Belgium to end impunity of parties involved in the Syria conflict.

"The despicable toxic gas attack in Idlib province is yet another proof of the fact that some parties to the conflict still believe in military solutions. They are mistaken, but how many lives need to be lost before they come to this conclusion themselves?" he said.

"On a daily basis we witness blatant violations of the cease fire agreement. This must end. An effective monitoring mechanism needs to be set up urgently to make sure that violators of the agreement are held responsible for their actions," De Croo said.

Since last year, Belgium has committed 143 million euros (152.4 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian assistance to the region, almost doubling its pledge, he added.

Belgium supported the UN resolution adopted last December to create a mechanism that collects evidence of horrendous crimes and it is essential this mechanism be set up as soon as possible, De Croo stated.

He said EU high representative Federica Mogherini and UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura made tireless efforts in bringing the parties in Syria together.

Source: Xinhua