(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) PARIS, April 25 (KUNA) -- The French government on Tuesday welcomed a decision by the United States to impose sanctions on 271 Syrian scientists who took part in the development of the Damascus regime's chemical weapons programmes.
Washington singled out the Syrian scientists for sanction as they are part of Syria's Centre for Scientific Research and Studies which is linked to the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), notably chemical arms.
"After the unacceptable attack carried out last April 4 in Khan Sheikhun, France welcomes the American decision," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
At least 87 people, 30 of them children, died in a chemical attack on the Khan Sheikun locality, in Idlib province, on April 4 and France says it will soon produce clear evidence that the regime of Bashar Al-Assad "knowingly" carried out the massacre.
Al-Assad has denied responsibility for the attack but Russia has blocked a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have called for an international enquiry into Khan Sheikhun and further sanctions against Damascus for its involvement and use of banned chemical weapons.
"France strongly denounced the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime and the horrors this entailed," the French statement noted, adding that the use of such weapons violates "international commitments that Syria has subscribed to in ratifying the Convention that bans chemical weapons use." Syria has also agreed to halt manufacture, stocking or use of such weapons of mass destruction, Paris pointed out.
After a massive chemical attack in Al-Ghouta, near Damascus, in 2013, when at least 1,400 died, France had wanted to carry out air strikes against Syrian WMD facilities and stock piles, but could not get backing from Britain or the United States to do so.
Al-Assad subsequently agreed to hand over existing WMD stocks and dismantle production facilities for such weapons but France says this was obviously not completed and more WMD is now being used by Damascus.
The Foreign Ministry statement renewed French support for an ongoing investigation into Khan Sheikhun which is being undertaken by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in The Hague.
The OPCW has already said that it has evidence to prove that Sarin gas or a similar toxic compound was used in the April 4 attack. (end) jk.mt
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