Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

I leave shortly for the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg. But I wanted to take just a few minutes with you before my departure to brief you on the crisis in Syria, particularly on the chemical weapons investigation.

Since the horrendous attacks in the Ghouta area of Damascus two weeks ago, the United Nations Mission led by [Dr.] Åke Sellström has been working urgently to establish the facts regarding the nature and extent of any use of chemical weapons.

As the first probe of allegations of the use of weapons of mass destruction in the 21st century, the Mission’s success is in everyone’s interest.

Last Friday, I briefed the Permanent members of the Security Council on the status of the investigation. This morning, I briefed the Council’s ten non-permanent members.

This afternoon, my High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Angela Kane, will brief other Member States.

I have called for the Mission to be given every opportunity to complete its task. The United Nations investigation is uniquely placed to independently establish the facts in an objective and impartial manner. Its work will be conducted strictly according to internationally recognized standards.

The Mission has worked around the clock following its return from Syria to prepare the materials it gathered for analysis. I am pleased to announce that all biomedical and environmental samples will have arrived at the designated laboratories by tomorrow.

We are doing our utmost to expedite the process. At the same time, I need to stress the importance of not jeopardizing the scientific timelines required for accurate analysis. As soon as the Mission has arrived at findings on the Ghouta incident, I will promptly report the results to Member States and to the Security Council.

And as soon as it can, the Mission will return to Syria to complete its investigation and to prepare its final report.

As I have stressed repeatedly, if confirmed, any use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances would be a serious violation of international law and an outrageous war crime.

Almost a century ago, following the horrors of the First World War, the international community acted to ban the use of these weapons of mass destruction. Our common humanity compels us to ensure that chemical weapons do not become a tool of war or terror in the 21st century. Any perpetrators must be brought to justice. There should be no impunity.

Bearing in mind the primary responsibility of the Security Council, I call for its members to unite and to develop an appropriate response, should the allegations of use prove to be true. The Security Council has a duty to move beyond the current stalemate and show leadership. This is a larger issue than the conflict in Syria; this is about our collective responsibility to humankind.

Whatever the source, this latest escalation should be a wake-up call for the international community. We must put an end to the atrocities the Syrian people continue to suffer. We should avoid further militarization of the conflict and revitalize the search for a political settlement.

I take note of the argument for action to prevent future uses of chemical weapons. At the same time, we must consider the impact of any punitive measure on efforts to prevent further bloodshed and facilitate a political resolution of the conflict.

The turmoil in Syria and across the region serves nobody. I appeal for renewed efforts by regional and international actors to convene the Geneva conference as soon as possible.

The G20 summit meeting in St. Petersburg is meant to focus on economic issues, including the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development. But I will use the opportunity of this gathering to engage with world leaders on this tragedy, including humanitarian assistance for the more than 2 million refugees and 4.2 million Syrians who have been displaced internally.

It is imperative to end this war.

Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. Now I would be happy to take one or two questions.