Reuters
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday accused
Syrian government troops of committing "crimes against humanity" that
could not be overlooked.
Human rights groups and Western countries have
previously accused Syria's army, backed by Russia's air force, of targeting
hospitals, bakeries and other civilian areas when bombarding rebel areas,
including eastern Aleppo.
"The use of barrel bombs and incendiary bombs,
and even chemical weapons, is not being shied away from," Merkel said as
she received the Seoul Peace Prize in Berlin.
"The civilian population is being starved,
medical institutes are being attacked, doctors are dying and hospitals are being
destroyed," she said, adding that not even United Nations aid convoys were
safe from bombardment.
"These are serious crimes against humanity. We
mustn't overlook that," Merkel said.
On Tuesday, a U.N. human rights spokeswoman said all
sides fighting over the Syrian city of Aleppo may be committing war crimes
through indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas.
The U.N. Human Rights Council said late last month it
would identify the perpetrators of war crimes in Aleppo, and it launched a
special inquiry into the use of starvation and air strikes there.
Merkel also urged Europeans to think
about crises further afield. On North Korea's nuclear programme and tensions in
the East and South China Sea, she said: "Everyone involved has a duty to
stick to the internationally agreed rules and to cooperate."
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by
Michelle Martin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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