Peace Palace marks centenary as Syria strikes loom

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is celebrating the centenary of the Peace Palace here, even as major world powers appear to be moving toward punitive military strikes against Syria for what the US and its allies say was a deadly chemical weapons attack last week.
The timing of today's celebrations is uncomfortable; the Peace Palace opened its doors in 1913 as a venue for peaceful resolution of conflicts and currently houses the United Nations' International Court of Justice but Washington is building support for a military attack on Syria possibly without UN backing.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq yesterday said that Ban's stance on Syria remains unchanged and focused on a "diplomatic solution.