The Costa Rican government issued a strong call of support for a U.S.- and Russia-backed resolution calling for Syria to surrender its chemical weapons.
Costa Rican Foreign Ministry spokesman Miguel Díaz announced the support in a Wednesday statement.
“Costa Rica deplores once again the use of chemical weapons and any weapon of mass destruction, and condemns its use in Syria, which has been confirmed by a U.N. Investigation Mission report,” Díaz said. “Costa Rica made a vehement call that the international community take action in order to hold those responsible for judgment on these crimes against humanity.”
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced on Monday that weapons inspectors had determined that chemical weapons had been used in the conflict. The United States and Russia cooperated on drafting a resolution to force Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad to surrender his chemical weapons. Update 9/20: An earlier version of this story reported the UN reported the Syrian government had used chemical weapons, the UN has yet to report who used the chemical weapons.
The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica on Thursday praised the government for their support of the resolution.
“Costa Rica, recognized around the world for its fundamental commitment to human rights and international justice, deplored the use of chemical weapons on innocent citizens in Syria and called the Framework Agreement a positive step to resolving the crisis in Syria,” embassy spokeswoman Evelyn Ardón said in a statement.
The statement added that a resolution was only possible because of the U.S.’ previous threat to use a missile strike against the Assad regime.
“As President Obama has stated, this framework with Russia would not have happened without the credible threat of United States military action, and, if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act,” Ardón said.
Many Costa Ricans had protested the U.S. when the missile strike was being considered, including at a September demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in San José, according to Costa Rican media reports. Former Costa Rican President Óscar Arias also condemned the U.S. for threatening to attack, saying the country must not police the world.
