Tillerson: Evidence to Charge Assad With War Crimes May Be Collected Over Time

Despite there is a lack of proof to charge Syrian President Bashar Assad with war crimes, evidence to do so could be collected in future, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Enough evidence to bring war crime charges against Syrian President Bashar Assad may be collected over time, but there is not enough proof at the moment, Tillerson sstated.

"We discussed the issue that as time goes by and more and more evidence continues to be gathered, it is possible that the threshold necessary to charge individuals including Bashar Assad may be achieved," Tillerson said.

Tillerson stressed that the evidence to support such a serious charge was not currently available, but it might be collected in the future.

Lavrov disputed the validity of Washington's allegations against Assad. On Wednesday, Lavrov said an "unbiased international investigation" into the matter is the only appropriate way forward, reminding reporters that "no proof" has been disclosed that renders Assad culpable for the attack.