UNITED NATIONS -- Experts from the U.N. and the chemical-weapons watchdog blamed the Syrian government for an attack in April using the nerve gas sarin that killed more than 90 people.
Their report's key findings and conclusions, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, state that leaders of the expert body are "confident that the Syrian Arab Republic is responsible for the release of sarin at Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, 2017."
The report by the experts supports the initial findings by the United States, France and Britain that a Syrian military plane dropped a bomb with sarin on the town of Khan Sheikhoun.
Syria and Russia, its close ally, have denied any attack and criticized the Joint Investigative Mechanism, which was established by the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, to determine responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
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The attack in Khan Sheikhoun sparked anger around the world as photos and video of the aftermath, including quivering children dying on camera, were widely broadcast.
The United States blamed the Syrian military and launched a punitive strike days later on the Shayrat air base, where it said the attack was launched.
Responding to Thursday's report, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said, "Today's report confirms what we have long known to be true. Time and again, we see independent confirmation of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime."
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking in Geneva, reaffirmed a long-standing U.S. demand that Assad step down as part of the civil war-ravaged nation's political transition after the defeat of the Islamic State in its former stronghold of Raqqa.
"We do not believe there is a future for the Assad regime and the Assad family," Tillerson told reporters Thursday, after meeting with Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy for Syria, at the U.S. Embassy. "The reign of the Assad regime is coming to an end, and the only issue is how should that be brought about."
Tillerson's remarks, which capped a trip to seven countries including Iraq and Afghanistan over the past week, echoed comments frequently made by his predecessor, John Kerry. But there's no sign that Assad, whose fortunes reversed after Russia intervened in Syria's civil war on his behalf two years ago, has any intention of stepping down.
With U.S. influence in the 6-year-old conflict diminished, Russia, Turkey and Iran have stepped up their presence. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed last month to take coordinated steps to set up and monitor a combat-free zone in Syria.
That followed an agreement by Russia, Turkey and Iran to establish a de-escalation zone in the Syrian province of Idlib and to monitor violations by opposition groups or forces loyal to Assad.
After his meeting with de Mistura, Tillerson made clear that the U.S. continues to support the stalled Geneva talks between the government and opposition groups.
De Mistura has also called for "genuine negotiations" to end the conflict. The loss of Raqqa as well as the victory over Islamic State fighters in their Iraq stronghold of Mosul has reduced the terror group to a guerrilla force concentrated on the Iraq-Syria border, with outposts in the Philippines and Libya, seeking to inspire terrorist activity around the world.
Geneva was the final stop on a seven-day trip by the top U.S. diplomat. After stopping in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he made hourslong visits to Afghanistan and Iraq in the same day, and later flew to Pakistan and India.
Stopping in Islamabad for a few hours Tuesday, he met with top Pakistani officials to press President Donald Trump's demand that they do more to more to crack down on terrorist groups that have been allowed haven within its territory.
"We have some very legitimate asks and some very legitimate concerns that we need their help addressing," he said. "If you don't want to do that or don't feel you can -- we'll adjust our tactics and strategy."
Information for this article was contributed by Edith M. Lederer of The Associated Press and by Nick Wadhams of Bloomberg News.
A Section on 10/27/2017