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Middle East (Syria, Chemical Weapons Programme) - Security Council Open VTC
Nearly eight years after the Security Council first mandated the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons programme, the senior United Nations disarmament official today described only limited progress towards declaring that dossier closed, as delegates continued to voice divergent views about the neutrality of the global non-proliferation architecture itself.
“At this stage, the declaration submitted by [Syria] cannot be considered accurate and complete,” said Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who provided her latest briefing to the 15-member Council in a video conference meeting this morning. Outlining developments in advancing the implementation of Council resolution 2118 (2013) regarding the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme, she said those included the deployment to Syria of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) Declaration Assessment Team, to conduct a twenty-fourth round of consultations.
Noting that her office maintains contact with both OPCW and Syria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, she said the former is pressing forward with its mandated activities related to Syria despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As reported by OPCW, 19 declaration-related issues remain outstanding. One of those pertains to a chemical weapons production facility that was declared by the Syrian National Authority as never having been used for the production of chemical weapons. However, evidence gathered by the Declarations Assessment Team indicates that production and/or weaponization of chemical warfare nerve agents did, in fact, take place at this facility.
Syria has not yet responded to OPCW’s request regarding the exact types and quantities of chemical agents produced or weaponized at that site, she said. As a result of such gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies, she emphasized that “at this stage, the declaration submitted by [Syria] cannot be considered accurate and complete”. Efforts to resolve those outstanding issues have now been ongoing since 2014. Noting that the international community’s confidence in the complete elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme depends upon their finalization, she reiterated her call on the country to cooperate fully with OPCW to that end.
Turning to other developments, she said OPCW conducted its seventh round of inspections at the Barzah and Jamrayah facilities of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, between 8 and 13 November 2020. The samples collected during these inspections were split at the OPCW laboratory in the presence of a representative of Syria and sent to designated laboratories for analysis. Looking forward to the release of those findings, which are expected in due course, she noted that Syria has yet to provide sufficient technical information or explanations that would enable OPCW to close the issue.
The OPCW fact-finding mission continues to study all available information related to allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, she continued, citing its engagement with the Syrian Government and other States parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. Further deployments of the mission will be subject to the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the Investigation and Identification Team continues to investigate incidents determined by the fact-finding mission as being likely instances of chemical weapons use. Concluding, she stressed her full support for OPCW’s integrity, professionalism, impartiality, objectivity and independence.
As Council members took the floor, many underscored their complete rejection of the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances. Several spotlighted OPCW’s crucial role in holding those who violate that norm to account. However, while some speakers reiterated their unwavering confidence in OPCW’s work, others expressed concern over growing politicization, noting that the organization’s credibility — as measured by the standards of neutrality, impartiality and professionalism — is of paramount as a deterrent mechanism, and must be preserved at all costs.
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