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The situation in the Middle East (Syria/Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) - Security Council, 9164th Meeting
Syria must respond urgently to complete all outstanding issues on the elimination of its chemical weapons programme in line with international law, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, citing the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Technical Secretariat’s evaluation that the country’s declarations still have not advanced.
“As has been stressed on a monthly basis for many years now, due to the identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies that remain unresolved, the Technical Secretariat continues to assess that, at this stage, the declaration submitted by the Syrian Arab Republic cannot be considered accurate and complete in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention,” said Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
The Technical Secretariat’s efforts to organize the twenty-fifth round of consultations between its Declaration Assessment Team and the Syrian National Authority also continue to be unsuccessful, she said, stressing that the Technical Secretariat remains fully committed to helping Syria fulfil its obligations under the Convention. Towards that end, Damascus has now responded to communication between the focal points charged with preparing for an in-person meeting that the OPCW Director-General requested with Syria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
The outcome of the Technical Secretariat’s ninth round of inspections of the Barzah and Jamrayah facilities of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre conducted from 11 to 18 September will be reported on in due course, she added. Pointing to the ongoing work as well of the OPCW fact-finding mission and the Investigation and Identification Team, she said: “Those who have used chemical weapons must be identified and held to account,” voicing hope that Council member will unite on the issue.
In the ensuing debate, many Council members, noting the lack of progress on the matter, underscored Syria's continued obstruction of OPCW’s work, while others questioned the convening of the current meeting, as well as the frequency of the Council’s meetings on the issue. Several speakers underlined their countries’ commitment to the complete prohibition of chemical weapons and countering impunity and called on Syria to fully cooperate with OPCW.
Ireland’s representative, expressing deep regret at the lack of visible progress on the file, stressed that “Syria cannot be allowed to simply wait out the interest of the international community, while it seeks to retain, or reconstitute, its chemical weapons capacities”. It is crucial that this item is discussed regularly by the Council to signal to Syria that their lack of cooperation will not go unanswered, she added.
The speaker for the United States underscored that the Assad regime, rather than comply with its agreements and make the world safer, has worked instead “to pull the wool over the eyes of this Council”. With backing from the Russian Federation, it continues to obfuscate and delay, he stressed, calling on “those with influence over the Assad regime” to encourage Damascus to immediately permit the Team to return to Syria.
The United Kingdom’s representative, in a similar vein, said that Syria and the Russian Federation have long used deceit and disinformation to deflect attention from appalling war crimes committed in Syria. Stressing that Syria’s non-compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention poses a threat to international peace and security, he called for accountability for the Assad regime’s historic use of chemical weapons and for the Council to continue to address these issues.
The speaker for the United Arab Emirates, however, said that the latest OPCW report did not contain any new developments that warrant convening the current meeting. Stressing the importance of a constructive dialogue between OPCW and the Syrian authorities to resolve pending issues, she warned that communicating solely through written correspondence will not achieve that purpose, echoing other delegations who urged direct consultations.
Also taking issue with the OPCW report, the Russian Federation’s representative said that it replicates unfounded allegations against Syria. The schedule for discussing the implementation of Council resolution 2118 (2013) needs to be streamlined, he said, adding that, if OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias does not deign to speak before the Council, discussions of the Syrian chemical dossier each month are pointless.
China's representative, on that note, said the Council should reduce the frequency of meetings on the issue or consider combining various Syrian issues to improve efficiency.
Syria's representative said that, once again, the Council is examining the issue in the absence of any development or event. “All it is an opportunity for some known countries with the [United States] at the forefront to repeat accusatory rhetoric targeting Syria.” Since joining the Convention in 2013, Syria has voluntarily cooperated with OPCW, and has destroyed its weapons stockpile and production facilities in record time. Syria has not stopped any civil servant or team from accessing its territory, he underscored, noting that all issues are being examined jointly by his Government and the Technical Secretariat. Pointing to certain countries’ politicization of the file on Syria, he warned that that destructive behaviour will not allow the professional, impartial conclusion of the file.
Iran’s representative concurred, stressing that politicizing the Chemical Weapons Convention and OPCW endangers the legitimacy of both. He urged OPCW and Syria to continue their contact and interaction, noting that the high-level meeting that is currently being arranged between Syria's Foreign Minister and the OPCW Director-General has the potential to resolve outstanding issues.
Also speaking today were representatives of Brazil, France, Mexico, Albania, Norway, India, Ghana (also on behalf of Gabon and Kenya) and Türkiye.
The meeting began at 3:01 p.m. and ended at 4:07 p.m.
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