"We are all members of the Chemical Weapons Convention. We condemn the use of any sort of chemical weapon," stressed Angela Merkel on Thursday, during the visit of the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Germany is grateful for the work of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). "We were involved in the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons a few years ago and played a very active part in this. Now we are forced to recognise that apparently not all weapons were destroyed." There are many indications that the Syrian regime has used weapons of this sort, said the Chancellor.

Tense international situation

The international situation is thus very tense. The entire spectrum of possible measures must now be considered. "For Germany, this means that we support all the activities within the United Nations Security Council and the work of the OPCW," said Angela Merkel.

No decision has yet been taken on a response to the use of chemical weapons. The Chancellor did, however, underline that Germany "will not be involved in any military action".

The most recent use of chemical weapons is reminiscent of the incident on 4 April 2017, when chemical weapons were used in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun, resulting in many deaths and injuries among the civilian population. All investigations to date indicate that the Syrian regime was responsible.

Joint action against chemical weapons

On Friday federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert stressed that the international community must ensure that respect for the Chemical Weapons Convention, of which Syria is also a member, "is not slowly eroded and that we do not simply become accustomed to war crimes of this sort".

Germany now stands by its partners, "who have expressed their revulsion at this use of chemical weapons and who want to send an unmistakable signal that actions of this sort cannot go unpunished". Everything must thus be done to maintain diplomatic and political pressure on Russia too.