QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Nine years ago, exactly in October 2013, Syrian government submitted to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the details of its plans for “total and verified destruction” of its chemical weapons stockpile and production facilities.
That followed the Ghouta chemical attack which took place on August 21, 2013 the day when locals in Eastern Ghouta and al -Moadamyeh in Western Ghouta woke up to the an unprecedented massacre in which rockets loaded with chemical weapons were used. The attack came three days to the arrival of a UN inspection mission to Damascus.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council in the meeting held on October 25, Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, Robert Ford said “The Assad regime, backed by Russia, continues to obfuscate and delay, rather than fully declare the chemical weapons stockpiles it has repeatedly used, a violation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention it joined in 2013.”
“The Assad regime also continues to prevent the deployment of the OPCW’s Declaration Assessment Team to Syria, in clear violation of its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2118,” Ford noted.
Resolution
On September 2013, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2118 on the use of chemical weapons by the “regime” in Eastern Ghouta.
On September 14, 2013, the Syrian government deposited its instrument of accession with the United Nations Secretary-General to become State Party to Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction
On November 22, 1968 Syria ratified the Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol of 1925.
On October 2, 2013, the UN 19-membered team began work to oversee timely elimination of the chemical weapons program of Syria. Syrian warfare of the outlawed weapons was estimated at 1.000 tons at nearly 45 sites on Syrian soil, according to reports.
Article 21 of the Resolution 2118 reads, in the event of non-compliance with this resolution, including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian government, to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter; 22.
The resolution stipulates Syria should not use, renew, produce, or possess, store, keep; transmit directly or indirectly to a country or party.
Accordingly, a joint OPCW-UN mission was to be sent to Syria to oversee the timely elimination of the chemical weapons program of Syrian government in the safest and most secure manner possible.
The UN Secretary-General and Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to cooperate and render help in implementing the Resolution.
Incompatibility
However, the “Assad Regime”, accordion to Ford’s briefing to the Security Council, continues preventing the deployment of the OPCW’s Declaration Assessment Team to the country.
In April 2013, Gennady Gatilov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said the UN team cannot enter Syria owing to incompatibility on its mandate.
The matter was unacceptable for Damascus, Gatilov noted.
In this relation, Ford said “As such, we continue to call on those with influence over the Assad regime to encourage Damascus to immediately permit the DAT to return to Syria, resolve discrepancies, and help ensure the verified elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons program, as it is bound to do under the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118.”
“It is worth noting, however, that even when the Syrian regime has provided information, the regime’s chemical weapons declarations have been riddled with gaps, inconsistencies, and unresolved discrepancies. Because of this – as we heard today – the Director General of the OPCW continues to assess that the Syrian declarations still cannot be considered accurate or complete,” Ford said.
The US official went on to say “Syria’s failure to provide complete and accurate information is extremely concerning. There is indeed a real possibility the Assad regime could, once again, use chemical weapons as it has done, repeatedly, against its own population.”
50 occasions
The US estimates the “Assad regime” has used chemical weapons more than 50 times since Syria became a State Party to the convention in 2013.
The OPCW-UN mission, the UN Joint investigative Mechanism, and the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team have independently confirmed that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on eight occasions.
“The IIT’s [Investigation and Identification Team] work is ongoing, and we look forward to its next report on the April 2018 attack on Douma,” Ford indicated.
Moscow demanded Washington to provide OPCW with information on the alleged facilities from which chemical weapons were used in the attacks in Syria in 2017 and 2018.
Deputy Head of the Russian delegation to UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament Konstantin Vorontsov said it was not strange that the United Kingdom, the United States and France may have committed hostile acts against Syria twice – in 2017 and 2018.
In October, Syria’s permanent representative to OPCW Milad Atiah said the United State and western countries turned that organization [OPCW] to a political tool and undermined its credibility. However, Ford had already noted the “regime” prevents the work of OPCW.
Threats to people
“At the same time, the regime’s continued refusal to provide answers or information requested years ago by the DAT is an affront to OPCW, this Council, and the international community,” Ford noted.
The US Alternate Representative affirmed Syrian government’s failure to declare and destroy its chemical weapons stores, meanwhile, “It is a threat to the Syrian people and the wider region. Taken together, these behaviors undermine our collective security and make the world less safe.”
Days ago, the US administration adopted measures to sanction three military personnel of the “Syrian regime” took part in the air strikes in August 2013 on Ghouta hereby they are no longer allowed to enter the United States of America.
In late October, the United States called on the United Nations Security Council to take “firm action” against the “Syrian regime” for using chemical weapons against its citizens, while the UN Secretary-General called for the verification of those used these weapons in Syria and to hold them accountable.
Ford emphasized the necessity that “The regime should end its intransigence and simply meet its obligations under both Security Council Resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention as quickly as possible,” he put it.
On March 10, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Office Izumi Nakamitsu said there was no progress made by the OPCW’s Declaration Assessment Team to reveal all pending issues regarding the first and succeeding declarations made by the Syrian government since the last meeting held by the Council regarding the issue.
This came in the session to discuss the 101st monthly report of the OPCW’s Secretary-General Fernando Arias regarding the UN Res. 2118 to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons and shed light on recent developments on the fact-finding commission.
At the time Izumi expressed her sorrows as “Syria continues to place conditions on the deployment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Declaration Assessment Team.”