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Syria’s initial declaration of chemical weapons on its territory cannot be considered accurate and complete, the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said during a Security Council video conference meeting on 11 December, while Damascus and its allies insisted that those stockpiles had been confirmed all destroyed by 2014.
“To date, considering the gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies that remain unresolved, the declaration submitted by Syria still cannot be considered accurate and complete,” said OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias during the regular monthly briefing on the implementation of resolution 2118 (2013), which called for the full implementation of the Organisation’s 27 September 2013 decision containing special procedures for the expeditious and verifiable destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons.
He reported that the twenty-third round of consultations between the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team and Syria took place in Damascus, from 22 September to 3 October. The Team collected samples, verified the destruction of items previously observed as undestroyed, and discussed the current status of all outstanding issues.
During a recent round of consultations, 3 issues related to the initial declaration were closed, while 19 issues remained outstanding, he continued. One of them pertains to a chemical weapons production facility declared by Syria’s national authority as “never having been used for the production of chemical weapons”. The review of all the information and other materials gathered by the Declaration Assessment Team since 2014, including samples, indicates that production and/or weaponization of chemical warfare nerve agents took place at this facility. The OPCW Technical Secretariat therefore requested Syria to declare the exact types and quantities of chemical agents produced and/or weaponized at the site in question, in line with the relevant provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction.
He said that the Technical Secretariat released the first report of the Investigation and Identification Team on 8 April. The report concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that individuals belonging to the Syrian Arab Air Force used chemical weapons in Ltamenah on three occasions in March 2017. Sarin was used twice and chlorine in one of the attacks. Following the issuance of the Team’s report, the OPCW Executive Council adopted a decision in July, requesting Syria to declare, within 90 days, the chemical weapons used in the attacks in Ltamenah.
Under that decision, he said Damascus was also requested to declare all the chemical weapons it currently possesses, and to resolve all outstanding issues regarding its initial declaration. On 14 October, he reported to the Executive Council and to all States Parties, that Syria has not completed any of the requirements mentioned, he said. A draft decision has been put forward by France, on behalf of 46 States parties, to address this issue further.
Aside from the Syria-related work, Mr. Arias said, the Technical Secretariat was called upon to assist with an incident involving chemical weapons use. On 20 August, a Russian Federation citizen and political activist, Alexei Navalny, fell seriously ill while travelling by plane in his country. Two days later, Mr. Navalny was brought to Germany for medical treatment. In September, the Technical Secretariat conducted a visit in response to a request from Germany. During the visit, a team of experts directly collected biomedical samples from Mr. Navalny, with his consent, for analysis by OPCW-designated laboratories. The results confirmed that traces of a toxic chemical of the Novichok family was found in Mr. Navalny’s blood. On 6 October, his organization received a request from the Russian Federation for a technical assistance visit concerning the same incident. The Technical Secretariat has since engaged with the Russian Federation to resolve the outstanding legal, technical and operational matters that are necessary for such a visit to take place.
Also addressing the Council was Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who said that since her last briefing on 5 November, the Office for Disarmament Affairs has continued to maintain regular contact with OPCW counterparts on its activities. On 2 December, the Office received information from Syria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations concerning chemical issues for this period. This information was studied carefully and forwarded to the OPCW Technical Secretariat. “Let us renew our unequivocal commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and our support to OPCW,” she said.
Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact OPCW’s ability to deploy to Syria, she said that the Technical Secretariat has continued with its mandated activities while Declaration Assessment Team has also continued its efforts to clarify all outstanding issues with Syria’s initial declaration to OPCW.
In accordance with the Executive Council decision, the Technical Secretariat deployed to Syria between 15 and 18 November to conduct its final visit to the underground structures and to observe the removal of the monitoring equipment. Syria was informed by the Technical Secretariat that the underground structures should remain sealed as part of the destruction plan agreed to by the Executive Council.
The OPCW fact-finding mission remains in the process of studying all available information related to allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria and continues its engagement with its Government and other States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention regarding “a variety of incidents”.
In the ensuing discussion, several Council members expressed their staunch support for OPCW and its work while other delegations argued that the organization has been used to impose the views of Western countries.
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