Germany, Sweden voice concern over world peace

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Germany and Sweden voiced concern over world peace on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump announced a response would be made to recent suspected chemical attack in Syria.

“Unfortunately, Syria might be something that could turn into a very very serious situation for world peace,” Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told a joint news conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Berlin.

Maas said Germany was consulting with its partners on the latest developments.

“For us it is important to use all opportunities, particularly for conveying our expectations to Russia,” he said.

Maas underlined that Russia, as one of the backers of Syria's Assad regime, has a responsibility to use its influence on Damascus to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to conflict areas, and convince the regime to eliminate its chemical weapons.

The White Helmets, a civil defense agency, blamed the Syrian regime for the chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta's Douma district on Saturday which killed 78 civilians and injured hundreds of other victims.

On Monday, Trump announced that Washington will decide on on its response to the suspected chemical attack within days, and did not rule out military airstrikes.

Wallstrom called for using all diplomatic means first at the UN to investigate the suspected chemical attack.

“It is the role of the UN Security Council to first of all advocate for a non-violent resolution to this,” she said.

“We hope that this will not escalate into what could become a real threat to international peace and security.”