Barrack congratulates Syria on OPCW rights restoration
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Thomas Barrack congratulated on Friday Syria on the restoration of its rights and privileges within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), describing the move as a sign of progress in the country’s engagement with the international community.
In a post on his official X account, Barrack said the restoration marked “an important milestone” reflecting what he described as the Syrian government’s notable progress and commitment to engaging responsibly with the international community.
The OPCW Executive Council on Thursday adopted a decision restoring Syria’s rights and privileges under the Chemical Weapons Convention following cooperation between Syrian institutions and the organization’s Technical Secretariat to address issues related to the country’s chemical weapons program inherited from the former regime.
In April 2021, the OPCW’s member states suspended some of Syria’s rights and privileges after investigations concluded that the former Syrian government was responsible for chemical weapons attacks in al-Lataminah in the Hama governorate in 2017 and Saraqib in the Idlib governorate in 2018.
The OPCW and the United Nations previously established a joint mission to oversee the dismantlement of Syria’s declared chemical weapons stockpile, announcing the completion of its mandate in 2014.
However, subsequent investigations conducted by the OPCW and other international mechanisms concluded that the former Syrian government had failed to declare its entire chemical weapons program and that chemical agents, including chlorine and sarin, were used in subsequent attacks in Syria.