(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON, April 24 (KUNA) -- The US imposed Monday one of the largest sanction actions in its history against the Syrian regime in response to the April 4th chemical attack on civilians in Khan Sheikhoun.
The Department of Treasury announced today that it is designating 271 employees of Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), the Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and the means to deliver them.
It indicated in a statement that these employees "have expertise in chemistry and related disciplines and/or have worked in support of SSRC's chemical weapons program since at least 2012." In this regard, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stressed, "These sweeping sanctions target the scientific support center for Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad's horrific chemical weapons attack on innocent civilian men, women, and children." He affirmed that the US "is sending a strong message with this action that we will hold the entire Assad regime accountable for these blatant human rights violations in order to deter the spread of these types of barbaric chemical weapons.
"We take Syria's disregard for innocent human life very seriously, and will relentlessly pursue and shut down the financial networks of all individuals involved with the production of chemical weapons used to commit these atrocities," he remarked.
The Treasury stressed that these sanctions "are intended to hold the Assad regime and those who support it - directly or indirectly - accountable for the regime's blatant violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118". (end) si.hb
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