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Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said his country would not accept an Israeli investigation into the events in Gaza as it “is the party that committed the crime” adding that Palestine would be moving in the Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigation commission. UNIFEED

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov was following the situation along the Gaza fence with concern. UNIFEED

UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told the Security Council that samples collected by the UN chemical watchdog (OPCW) team “confirm the findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic chemical that was used on 4 March in Salisbury.” UNIFEED

Ambassador Carl Skau of Sweden said the upcoming retreat at Backakra, the renovated private estate of former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold takes place “at a very difficult moment for the life of the Security Council,” which “calls for new thinking and for new approaches.” UNIFEED

Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said the idea of creating a mechanism to attribute responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria “no longer makes any sense when Washington and its allies have already determined who is guilty and in essence are already acting as self-appointed executioners.” UNIFEED

Liechtenstein’s ambassador to the UN Christian Wenaweser told reporters today there was already a competent mechanism in place which could identify individuals who are “criminally responsible for the use of chemical weapons” in Syria. UNIFEED

In the aftermath of the joint US, UK and France’s air strikes against Syria, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Security Council to “show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate matters and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people.” UNIFEED

During a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Secretary-General António Guterres said “Rwandans have shown that reconciliation is possible,” adding that “Rwandans have learned from the events of 1994, and so must the international community.” UNIFEED

United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis told reporters today “the humanitarian situation in Syria today is the worst since the conflict has started.” UNIFEED

Following a Security Council meeting on the alleged chemical attack in Syria, Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Alekseevich Nebenzia told reporters today that his country has “footage – coverage of people speaking of how the accident was actually staged” as well as “other video material that we would be willing to provide to the general public.” UNIFEED