Hollande Urges UN to Impose Sanctions on Damascus Over Alleged Weapons Use

French President Francois Hollande stated that he appeals to the United Nations to condemn alleged use of chemical weapons by the Damascus regime and impose sanctions on the Syrian government.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday called on the United Nations to impose sanctions on the Damascus authorities, saying that he has evidence of the Syrian army's use of illicit chemical weapons.

"We have evidence that the Damascus regime uses chemical weapons against its people. I appeal to the United Nations to condemn these despicable acts and adopt sanctions," Hollande said, as quoted on the Elysee Palace’s Twitter page.

Earlier in the day, the Human Rights Watch watchdog called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for sanctions to be imposed on Damascus for its alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Last week, the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released the results of a joint inquiry into chemical weapon attacks in Syria in 2014 and 2015 that attributed two attacks to the Syrian government and one attack to the Daesh jihadist group, outlawed in Russia.

The watchdog also called for those responsible for attacks to be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court.

Later on Tuesday, the UNSC will review chemical disarmament in Syria and discuss the OPCW findings.