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Press TV has conducted an interview with Nabil Mikhail, professor at George Washington University from Washington, about Syria criticizing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for ignoring repeated warnings about foreign-backed militants' access to weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

Press TV: How do you react to this hundred official letters about the threat of WMDs in the hands of insurgents yet the UN Security Council has not taken action?

Mikhail: This is very dangerous. What you told me is very important and really it establishes the responsibility of the Security Council. God forbid, I hope these weapons are not going to be used by the terrorists or by extremist groups and like what the old proverb said things are not bad unless you see them.

So the question is what kind of preemptive action will be taken by the US, by at least the members of the Security Council or by the UN. At least the United Nations can issue a resolution to demand no use of chemical weapons by any side but it is dangerous and the question is the United States threatened to hit Syria back in the fall of last year when Damascus acknowledged that it has [chemical] weapons or it had [chemical] weapons.
The question is will United States or NATO strike or launch an attack, a military attack against any group that could launch a terror attack by using chemical weapons?

This is very dangerous and some preemptive measures are needed to be implemented as soon as possible.

Press TV: So then what do you assess about why the international community specifically of course the United States and other Western countries that have supported the insurgents, why have they come to this slow realization, if I may use that word “slow”, about the danger of these insurgents and the danger that they pose to even their own countries?

Mikhail: I would assume there are two reasons. One of them is that the Security Council knew about the issue of chemical weapons or biological weapons passed through insurgent groups and he ignored it hoping that the information would never be revealed.

The other thing is that as the report said it could be a delivery that was not really a critical strategic option. I believe your report said Turkey supplied these groups with chemical weapons.

My answer is simple, conduct an investigation. This is a very dangerous situation. It is more than a strategy, it could change the whole equilibrium, I mean Turkey also is a NATO member and that establishes a responsibility.

So ultimately the question is one of responsibility. States and groups should be more responsible for their actions. Chemical weapons are dangerous tools. There has to be a very preemptive policy to neutralize them and eliminate their existence. This should apply to every side in the Syrian conflict.