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8344th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Middle East
Despite progress being made, not only was the international community’s confidence in Syria’s full elimination of its chemical weapons programme dependent upon the United Nations being able to close outstanding issues, but the lack of an accountability mechanism was a missing step in taking to task those responsible for using chemical weapons, a senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today.
Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, briefing the Council on the implementation of resolution 2118 (2013) on the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme, expressed concern that the closure of the United Nations‑Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Joint Investigative Mechanism would embolden those who sought to carry out further attacks. The Council must work together to find a common approach to tackle this issue, she stressed.
Also noting that the Technical Secretariat of OPCW had verified the destruction of all 27 chemical weapons production facilities declared by Syria, she added that the confidence of the international community in the full elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme depended upon closing outstanding issues. OPCW’s fact-finding mission continued to collect and analyse information regarding the alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in Douma.
The complete implementation of resolution 2118 (2013) was essential for ending the Syrian conflict, as well as for ensuring regional stability, she pointed out, calling on the international community to uphold humanitarian principles, as well as all relevant international disarmament and non‑proliferation norms, most importantly the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
In the ensuing vigorous debate, many members called on the Syrian Government to cooperate fully with OPCW. Peru’s representative reaffirmed his trust in the fairness and impartiality of OPCW’s work and lamented that the advances made by that body are overshadowed by the persistence of errors and omissions in the declaration by Syria, five years after its adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention. He voiced his hope that the existing discrepancies would be clarified by the recent documentation provided by the Syrian Government.
Highlighting the threat of a military offensive in Idlib, France’s delegate noted that the possible use of chemical weapons there would open a “new chapter in the long story of the Syrian tragedy”. Since 2013, the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons and hundreds of civilians in Douma were paying the price. That use indicated that there are still stockpiles. A new use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime will not go unpunished, he cautioned.
“Damascus does not have chemical weapons, nor do they have plans to use it,” the Russian Federation’s representative stressed, adding that OPCW and The Hague had confirmed the destruction of the last chemical weapon production facilities declared by Syria. Yet, a major international deception still persisted, along the same lines as the Iraq weapons of mass destruction, he noted.
“There are no more chemical weapons in Syria,” that country’s delegate declared, as well. He reminded the Council that that the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs had hailed the destruction of 27 chemical weapons production facilities and the signing of the Tripartite Agreement. “It seems that some colleagues didn’t listen carefully to that briefing,” he noted. With the destruction of the two last chemical weapons facilities, Syria had lived up to all its obligations.
Still, certain permanent members continue to exploit the Council to pursue their own political ends, he said, adding that “we are diplomats” and the role of diplomats is to find diplomatic solutions, not issue threats. Calling on the Security Council to learn from mistakes made in Iraq and Libya, he pointed out that the Syrian Government was winning their fight against terrorist organizations. Why would Syria use chemical weapons against women and children but not against terrorists, he asked.
Regardless of delegations’ positions on the matter, progress was being made, the representative of the Côte d’Ivoire underscored, both with the destruction of the 27 units and the cooperation between the Syrian Government and OPCW.
As well, Poland’s delegate voiced hope for continued progress. She reminded the Chamber that the establishment of the Joint Investigative Mechanism has proved that when the Council stands united around the common goal of countering weapons of mass destruction, it can work efficiently.
Also speaking today were representatives of Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Bolivia, Kuwait, United Kingdom, China, Netherlands, Sweden and the United States.
The meeting began at 3:05 p.m. and ended at 4:43 p.m.
