UN / SYRIA OPCW

The OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) presented the conclusions of its 4th report to the Security Council, indicating several instances in which toxic substances were used as weapons by the Syrian Arab armed forces. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:36
• Production Date: 27 October 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: VIRGINIA GAMBA; VITALY I. CHURKIN
• Corporate Name: ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS - OPCW
• Subject Topical: CHEMICAL WEAPONS
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 1757806
• Parent Id: 1757806
• Alternate Title: unifeed161027b

Description

STORY: UN / SYRIA OPCW
TRT: 02:36
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 27 OCTOBER 2016, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
2. Wide shot, Virginia Gamba walks up to the stakeout microphone
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Head of Security Council Joint Investigative Mechanism on Chemical Weapon Use in Syria:
“In the case of Qmenas, 16th of March 2015, the leadership panel had sufficient information to reach a conclusion on the actors involved. Specifically the panel concluded that the Syrian Arab armed forces helicopter dropped a device from a high altitude which hit the ground and released toxic substances. In the cases of Kafr Zita, 18th of April 2014, and Binnish, 24th March of 2015, the panel determined that the status of both cases remains unchanged. Overall, during the course of its investigation, the mechanism identified actors in four out of nine cases under its investigation. In the cases of Talmenes 2st of April 2014, Sarmin, 16th of March 2015, and Qmenas, 16th of March 2015, the Syrian Arab armed forces were involved in the use of chlorine as a weapon. We believe these attacks were conducted by helicopters belonging to the 63rd brigade based at the Hama and Dumayr airbases.”
4. Med shot, Gamba listening to reporter’s question
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Virginia Gamba, Head of Security Council Joint Investigative Mechanism on Chemical Weapon Use in Syria:
“We have always operated as an independent impartial and objective mechanism and body. And our work was undertaken in a very professional and confidential manner. And we, myself and my panel, stand firmly behind our assessment and our conclusions, and I repeated that in Council today. We stand firm by what we said and we believe that the reports speak for themselves and you must read them.”
6. Pan right, Gamba walks away
7. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin walks up to the stakeout position
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations:
“We believe that the proof is not there for any big punitive action to be taken. It’s simply not there. Let’s continue the discussion, we’ll continue, you know, studying the report. Please read the remarks I made. There are very, very serious technical remarks which bring to light certain weaknesses, let’s face it, in the work of JIM. We highly appreciate their attitude to the task they were given. They were given an extremely difficult task to investigate things which happened two years ago without even visiting the sites which were involved. They did their best, I suppose, in some instances they fell short, in some instances we believe they arrived at wrong conclusions.”
9. Pan right, Churkin walks away

Storyline

The OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) today (27 Oct) presented the conclusions of its 4th report to the Security Council, indicating several instances in which toxic substances were used as weapons by the Syrian Arab armed forces.

Speaking to reporters outside the Council, the Head of JIM, Virginia Gamba, said “In the case of Qmenas, 16th of March 2015, the leadership panel had sufficient information to reach a conclusion on the actors involved. Specifically the panel concluded that the Syrian Arab armed forces helicopter dropped a device from a high altitude which hit the ground and released toxic substances. In the cases of Kafr Zita, 18th of April 2014, and Binnish, 24th March of 2015, the panel determined that the status of both cases remains unchanged. Overal, during the course of its investigation, the mechanism identified actors in four out of nine cases under its investigation. In the cases of Talmenes 2st of April 2014, Sarmin, 16th of March 2015, and Qmenas, 16th of March 2015, the Syrian Arab armed forces were involved in the use of chlorine as a weapon. We believe these attacks were conducted by helicopters belonging to the 63rd brigade based at the Hama and Dumayr airbases.”

Gamba said “we have always operated as an independent impartial and objective mechanism and body. And our work was undertaken in a very professional and confidential manner. And we, myself and my panel, stand firmly behind our assessment and our conclusions, and I repeated that in Council today. We stand firm by what we said and we believe that the reports speak for themselves and you must read them.”

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of the Russian Federation told reporters that “the proof is not there for any big punitive action to be taken” and that there are “certain weaknesses” in the work of JIM.