Dear Sir,
It is glaringly evident that chemical weapons were used in Syria, resulting in mass deaths. The use of chemical weapons is prohibited in international armed conflicts in a series of treaties, including The Hague Declaration concerning asphyxiating gases, the Geneva Gas Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Statute of the International Criminal Court.
On August 21, chemical agents were used by the Syrian regime in an attack on some suburbs of Damascus held by units of the opposition forces.
In March too the Syrian regime had been accused of using chemical agents in an area near the northern city of Aleppo. A paralysing agent was also used near Qusayr, five miles north of the border with Lebanon, by the regime since the civil war started.
In international law, the use of chemical weapons is considered an act of genocide and a crime against humanity. Under the preamble of the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court, every state is under the duty to prosecute against such crimes, for which there should be no impunity.
The internationally accepted definition of “genocide” has been codified in the Geneva Convention. The tragedy in Syria is a clear-cut case of genocide against the Syrian civilian population. The regime also violated the charter of the International Military Tribunal codified in 1945, regarding crimes against humanity.
It is time for the global community to work together, to spread awareness and to spare future generations from having to live through this massive systematic abuse of power.
It is time for world powers to remove Assad from power, by using military force, which falls within the ambits of international law.
Farouk Araie
Incorrect measures
Dear Sir,
The letter, “Licence policy makes no sense” (Gulf Times, September 1) raised some valid points and I hope the Traffic Department will study them in earnest. The decision to bar some professions from applying for driving licences is not the right method to tackle the road congestion in Qatar.
As has been pointed out by the letter writer, improving the road infrastructure and giving better training to would-be drivers will make a much greater impact on easing the traffic flow on Qatar’s roads.
NH
(Full name and e-mail address supplied)
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