Hon Murray McCully
Minister of Foreign Affairs
28 August 2013
UN needs to address Syrian crisis - McCully
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says the New Zealand Government still wants the United Nations Security Council
to be the place where action on the Syrian crisis is resolved.
“The grisly pictures and reports of chemical weapons attacks in recent days have prompted consideration of a range of
options in various parts of the world. The New Zealand Government remains committed to the Security Council as the
appropriate vehicle to address this crisis. It has a clear legal basis for taking action and a clear responsibility to
show leadership,” Mr McCully says.
“It is nearly a year since I used the opportunity of New Zealand’s address to the UN General Assembly to remind the
Security Council of its responsibility to agree a course of action to resolve the Syria crisis, and criticised the use
of the veto in such circumstances.
“It is clear that international patience with Security Council inaction is wearing thin. We again urge the UNSC to show
leadership and to take action against the reported use of chemical weapons.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is remaining engaged in the exchanges that are taking place. We have a very close
interest in information verifying the use of chemical weapons in Syria and in evidence proving who was responsible.
“We have no intention in engaging in speculation or commentary about the way forward. This is a time in which both words
and prospective actions should be evaluated with great care.”
ends