Syria’s cooperation with OPCW crucial to resolve issues – U.N. official
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A senior United Nations official said on Monday during a session at the Security Council that Syria’s full cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is crucial to closing all outstanding issues related to its declarations.
Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said that the Syrian government’s declaration on its chemical weapon stockpiles still cannot be considered accurate and complete.
He pointed out OPCW Technical Secretariat assessments show unresolved identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies.
This came as delegates urged accountability for all perpetrators amid a new finding involving a non-State actor.
“The absence of accountability for the use of chemical weapons continues to be a threat to international peace and security,” Ebo said.
On Feb.22, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the Islamic State (ISIS) is the perpetrator of the chemical weapons attack on Sep. 1, 2015 in the town of Marea in northwestern Syria.
Additionally, OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) said on Feb.26, in its report there was insufficient evidence to confirm the use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the reported incident in al-Yarmouk in Syria on Oct.22, 2017.
Meanwhile, Robert Wood, the representative of the United States said, “the Syrian regime continues to obfuscate and impede the work of the OPCW and its various technical teams that seek to fully engage with Syria in carrying out their mandates.”
Wood stressed that recent findings by the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team raise concerns that the Syrian government still has a residual chemical weapons capability.