Syria disproved a statement released by the “Investigation and Identification Team” of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) about the alleged incident of using chlorine in Douma on April 7th, 2018.
“Syria totally rejects the report released by the so-called “Investigation and Identification Team” of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons(OPCW) about an alleged chemical attack in Douma on April 2018, in addition to its conclusions,” The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said that the report lacks scientific and objective evidence and that no sane person or specialist can reach such misleading conclusions.
“Those who prepared this report neglected the objective observations raised by State parties, experts, academics, and former OPCW inspectors, known for their expertise and knowledge,” the statement added.
The Foreign Ministry added that this misleading report did not surprise Syria and proved once again the correctness of its position on the OPCW reports, which lacked credibility.
“Syria and many other countries were against recognizing the so-called Investigation and Identification Team, which lacks legitimacy,” The statement said.
Syria calls upon all State parties in the OPCW and the UN “to assume their responsibilities to preserve the independence, credibility, and future of this Organization.”
The statement accused the OPCW of “allowing the U.S. and other Western countries to dominate its work, politicize its tasks or use this Organization as a tool to achieve their political goals.”
COMMENT FROM THE OBSERVER
OPCW blamed the Syrian regime on Friday for a 2018 chlorine attack that killed 43 people in a long-awaited report on a case that sparked tensions between Damascus and the West.
Investigators said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that at least one Syrian regime air force helicopter had dropped two cylinders of the toxic gas on the rebel-held town of Douma during Syria’s civil war.
The OPCW said its investigators had “considered a range of possible scenarios” and concluded that “the Syrian Arab Air Forces are the perpetrators of this attack.”
“The use of chemical weapons in Douma – and anywhere – is unacceptable and a breach of international law,” OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias said in a statement.
“The world now knows the facts – it is up to the international community to take action at the OPCW and beyond.”
This article was translated and 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.
