It is most regrettable that the Security Council has, as a result of a further Russian veto, failed to adopt a resolution condemning the dreadful events in Khan Sheikhoun. And yet it is vital to investigate this incident as rapidly as possible and to send a clear signal that the international community will not tolerate the use of such illegal and inhumane weapons.

We expressly support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which has already commenced investigations into these crimes, and call on the Syrian regime to grant the organisation access with immediate effect.