The United States is snubbing a session of the U.N.'s main disarmament body to protest Syria's turn to hold the rotating presidency. The move by Robert Wood, the U.S.'s ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, comes a week after he temporarily walked out as Syria kicked off its four-week presidency. The U.S. diplomatic mission in Geneva said Wood will bow out entirely Tuesday. Critics accuse President Bashar Assad's government of using chemical weapons on civilians during Syria's seven-year civil war and say it is inappropriate that it is presiding over the 65-member body. In a statement, Wood cited Syria's "repeated attempts" to use its presidency to "normalize the regime and its unacceptable and dangerous behavior."

Source: ABC News June 05, 2018 08:03 UTC