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8105th Security Council Meeting: The situation in the Middle East
The Security Council this afternoon failed to renew the mandate of the investigative mechanism formed to determine the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria after two competing draft resolutions, respectively tabled by the United States and Bolivia, were rejected through votes.
The United States draft on extending the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism was rejected due to the negative vote of a permanent member following a vote of 11 in favour to 2 against (Bolivia, Russian Federation), with 2 abstaining (China, Egypt). Had it been adopted, it would have extended the Mechanism’s mandate — established by resolution 2235 (2015) and set to expire tomorrow, 17 November — for a further one year.
The Bolivian draft on extending the Mechanism, also for one year, was rejected after first being tabled by the Russian Federation and withdrawn. The text was rejected by a vote of 4 in favour (Bolivia, China, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation) to 7 against (France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States) with 4 abstaining (Egypt, Ethiopia, Japan, Ukraine). It would have welcomed what it called the “full and profound cooperation” extended by the Syrian Government to the Mechanism and the other group investigating chemical attacks, the fact finding mission.
Regretting the lack of visits to the sites of chemical incidents, and lack of full chain of custody of evidence and other methodological factors that might cast doubt on the Mechanism’s conclusions, the Russian draft tabled by Bolivia would have requested that investigative teams be dispatched to Khan Shaykhun and the Shayrat airbase, subjects of the most recent report of the Mechanism. It would have requested the Mechanism to collect and analyse information on use by non State actors of chemical weapons, and to submit to the Council analytical reports every three months. It would have also called for greater focus on the use of non State weapons by non State actors.
In addition to the provisions contained in the draft that failed on 24 October (see Press Release SC/13040), the United States draft would have underscored the ongoing importance of the Mechanism conducting its investigations according to high methodological standards and basing its findings on the evidentiary levels outlined in its first report. It would have encouraged the Mechanism to consult United Nations bodies on counter terrorism and non proliferation to exchange information on attacks by non State actors. It also would have encouraged the Mechanism to inform the Council of any inability to gain access to sites relevant to investigations.
The Russian draft was withdrawn before either text was voted on, after a Russian Federation proposal that its draft be voted on after the United States draft was rejected in a procedural vote. It was tabled by Bolivia after the rejection of the United States draft and statements after that vote. Before and after the voting, all Council members condemned the use of chemical weapons and called for accountability for perpetrators through professional, impartial investigation.
In multiple statements, the supporters of the draft, however, said that today’s procedure pushed that goal back by not guaranteeing the continuity of the Mechanism. The representative of the United States said that the Russian Federation had struck a deep blow to the effort, killing the Mechanism and eliminating its ability to identify attackers and deter future attacks. She accused the Russian delegation of playing games with its procedural moves and not consulting with other delegations to come up with a compromise. The representative of the United Kingdom stated that the goal of the Russian Federation was to scuttle the Mechanism because it simply could not accept any investigation that attributed guilt to its Syrian ally.
Italy’s representative, voting for the United States draft and against the Russian and Bolivian text, recounted the extensive negotiations that had gone into the United States draft to ensure that all concerns were addressed. He said that the outcome weakened the security architecture and was difficult to merely accept. He pledged continued work to ensure the investigations continued, however.
Japan’s representative, having voted for the United States draft and abstaining from voting on the Russian text, stressed that despite the procedures, the Council was still responsible to act to prevent further use of chemical weapons and to provide accountability for attacks in Syria. He urged Council members to work to find consensus on renewing the Mechanism.
The representative of the Russian Federation, in multiple statements, said that the flaws in the operations of the Mechanism were not concretely addressed in the United States draft, but were addressed in his text. He expressed disappointment that the initiative for extending and qualitatively improving the Mechanism had failed to secure the requisite support. Calling the way the votes had occurred an effort to disparage his country, he said various tricks would now be used to pin the cessation of the Mechanism’s activity on his country. Noting that his delegation had been accused of not taking part in consultations, he said that they had met three times with the United States colleagues.
Similarly, the representatives of China and Bolivia expressed their strong desire for the continuance of the Mechanism, but an equally strong wish that concerns over methodology be addressed. Both therefore voted for the Russian text, with Bolivia voting against the other draft and China abstaining.
Speaking before the first vote were Bolivia, Russian Federation and the United States. Speaking after that vote were the United States, France, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Senegal, China, Japan, Egypt, Russian Federation, Italy and Syria.
Speaking before the vote on the second draft were Bolivia, Russian Federation and the United States. Speaking after that vote were Egypt, Ukraine, Japan, China, Russian Federation and Bolivia. The Russian Federation spoke a final time after those speakers.
The meeting began at 3:15 p.m. and closed at 5:49 p.m. During that period the meeting was suspended for 15 minutes after the first vote and the comments following it.