Syria’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations al-Hakam Dandi has stressed the need for the Security Council to reconsider its approach to the “chemical file” in Syria by dealing with developments related to it objectively away from any politicization.
“Syria voluntarily joined the Chemical Weapons Convention, fulfilled its obligations under it and destroyed all its stockpiles and production facilities in a record time,” Dandi said during a Security Council session dedicated to discussing the “chemical file” in Syria.
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He added that some Western countries still insist on wasting the Council’s time and resources at the expense of other more urgent issues to discuss related to the maintenance of international peace and security and the defence of the objectives and principles of the UN Charter.
“Syria rejects the false accusations made by these countries against it and considers that they are based on unprofessional and non-objective reports and drafted after political pressure exerted by the OPCW Technical Secretariat,” the Syrian diplomat said.
Dandi reiterated Syria’s categorical condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by any individual, anytime, anywhere, and under any circumstances.
Syria considers the creation of the investigation and identification team illegal since the convention does not include any text that allows the OPCW technical secretariat to carry out investigations to determine responsibility for the use of chemical weapons, the diplomat concluded.
COMMENT FROM THE OBSERVER
The top United Nations official for disarmament told the Security Council that Syria continues to avoid full cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to urgently address information missing from its submitted declarations, including providing details on the unauthorized movement of two cylinders related to the 2018 chemical weapon incident in Douma.
Briefing the Council on the implementation of resolution 2118 (2013), High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, said efforts by the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team to clarify all outstanding issues on initial and subsequent declarations by Syria have made no progress since the Council last met on the issue. Full cooperation by Syria with the Secretariat is essential to closing all outstanding issues, but due to the identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies, its submitted declaration cannot be considered accurate and complete in accordance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention), she said.
She noted that OPCW, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Government of Syria have all agreed to a six-month extension of their Tripartite Agreement. Meanwhile, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission is studying all available information related to allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, having deployed inside the country from 6 to 12 November to interview witnesses. Unfortunately, Syria has not yet completed any of the measures stipulated in paragraph 5 of OPCW Executive Council decision EC-94/DEC.2, she said, adding that the use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anyone, under any circumstances, is intolerable and a serious violation of international law.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
