New York, 6 January 2022 (TDI): During the meeting of the Security Council SC/ 14760 of January 5, 2022, Syria’s noncompliance with UNSC was discussed. It was highlighted that Damascus is not cooperating with the investigation.
Some delegates discover it offensive that technical experts are obstructed from performing their duties. In today’s meeting, the UN’s Disarmament Chief stated that Syria’s chemical weapons declaration was not accurate and complete due to numerous gaps, inconsistencies, and discrepancies.
Syria was urged to cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) immediately by the United Nations. Otherwise, concerns about Syria’s noncompliance with the UNSC will remain.
Providing an update on developments over the recent month, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu reported that Syria has submitted 17 amendments and several supplements to its initial declaration, but that 20 of the 24 outstanding issues raised by the Declaration Assessment Team in 2014 remain open, including undeclared research, production, and/or weaponization of unknown quantities of chemical weapons.
The Declaration Assessment Team identified 24 issues in 2014, of which 20 remain unresolved, including undeclared production, research, and/or weaponization of undeclared quantities of chemical weapons. If these issues are to be resolved, the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW cooperates completely with the Syrian Arab Republic.
Besides failing to submit the requested declarations, Syria has equally not yet responded to requests from the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) seeking information and documentation related to the damage caused to the declared former chemical weapons production facility during June 8, 2021, attack, or information regarding the unauthorized movement and remains of two destroyed cylinders associated with April 7, 2018, chemical weapons incident in Douma.
Due to Syria’s refusal to grant an entry visa to members of the Declaration Assessment Team, the Technical Secretariat was unable to schedule the twenty-fifth round of consultations between Syria and the Assessment Team in Damascus. Izumi Nakamitsu added it was equally unsuccessful in its efforts to schedule a meeting with Syrian experts at the OPCW in The Hague in late October 2021.
The staff of the OPCW Secretariat should be permitted immediate and unrestricted access to Syria as soon as possible. The Technical Secretariat of the Scientific Studies and Research Center conducted the eighth round of inspections at the Barzah and Jamrayah facilities during the period December 10-17, 2021. She anticipates publishing the results in the near future.
The Technical Secretariat has yet to receive from Syria sufficient technical information or explanations which would enable the Technical Secretariat to resolve the matter regarding the November 2018 discovery of a Schedule 2 chemical at the Centre’s Barzah facilities.
The representative of the Russian Federation noted that Syria’s chemical weapons dossier is one of the most “politicized” items on the Council’s agenda and is a “pain in the neck” for all Council members.
According to her, the topic remains a fairy tale and had no bearing on nonproliferation. The Syrian delegation’s readiness for the trip to the Technical Secretariat led to the subsequent round of consultations for the Declaration Assessment Team being postponed by the Technical Secretariat leadership on the grounds of visa complications.
The Director-General of the OPCW declined an invitation to Damascus. To clarify the remaining issues, the Russian delegation intends to invite the Director-General back to the Council.
In her remarks, the representative of the United States, Linda Thomas Greenfield stated that information regarding the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government in 2017 was collected by the fact-finding mission during their visit to Syria last month, which will assist in holding them accountable.
According to the Technical Secretariat, there has been obstruction by Syria in the OPCW’s ninth report. Syria’s declaration has been amended as a result of the work of the OPCW.
Syrian proposals have been rejected by the OPCW, which has blocked the subsequent round of consultations for nine months. To fulfil its obligations, Damascus must allow the Declaration Assessment Team access to its territory.
In a move that appears to be intended to obstruct, Damascus has refused a visa to one of the members. “This is not a fairy tale but a war crime; Syrian chemical weapons were used against its own population,” she said.
Syria must follow its obligations if it hopes to restore its rights. Technical Secretariat has to stop being discredited. Irish officials on their part characterized Syria’s interference in the selection of OPCW experts as “unacceptable,” emphasizing that Syria could not choose which obligations it would accept.
As a first step to overcoming regrettable politicization within the OPCW and its decision-making bodies, Brazilian delegates pushed for the restoration of trust between the OPCW and Syria.
The Syrian Foreign Minister welcomed the OPCW Director-General and the Syrian Foreign Minister’s recent efforts to hold an in-person meeting as a confidence-building measure that may lead to comprehensive dialogue. He urged the Syrian government to facilitate full and extensive participation by OPCW teams.
After the Council members, representatives from Syria announced that they had been working with the UN since their country joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 to eliminate their stocks and production facilities, which was accomplished in record time in mid-2014.
Because the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team were established in retaliation for Syria, he said, the OPCW Technical Secretariat was part of the hostile Western campaign of disinformation.
The OPCW Director-general noted Syria’s Foreign Minister’s correspondence with the Technical Secretariat about these inaccurate reports, and noted efforts were underway to arrange a meeting between the Syrian Foreign Minister and him. The Declaration Assessment Team has already held 24 consultations with Syria. He said the OPCW’s cooperation with Syria was demonstrated by two UN teams visiting within a month, refuting allegations that it was blocking the organization.
There were also delegations from Kenya, Ghana, China, India, Mexico, Gabon, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and Albania, Norway, Iran, and Turkey.
Description of Syria’s noncompliance with UNSC
The latest monthly report (document S/2021/1103) of the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) regarding the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons program.
In a letter dated December 27, 2021, the Syrian Permanent Mission to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was forwarded by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs to the Syria Permanent Mission for information on chemical weapons issues, which was carefully examined and forwarded to the OPCW Technical Secretariat.
Despite ongoing travel restrictions related to COVID-19, the OPCW Technical Secretariat continues with its mandated activities despite having been adversely affected by the ongoing disease outbreak in Syria, she explained.
OPCW officials state that the Declaration Assessment Team will continue to work in order to clarify any ambiguities regarding Syria’s initial declaration and subsequent declarations in accordance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and use of Chemical Weapons and on their destruction.
As of October 2015, 20 out of 24 outstanding issues raised by the OPCW Assessment Team in 2014 remain outstanding, and they relate to undeclared research, production, and weaponization of unknown quantities of chemical weapons, as well as significant quantities of chemical warfare agents or precursors, chemical bombs, and other chemical weapons whose fate has not yet been firmly established by the Secretariat of the OPCW.
The Technical Secretariat has not received the declarations requested from Syrian officials, nor have they responded to its requests for information and documentation concerning the damage caused to the declared former chemical weapons production facility during the June 8, 2021, attack, as well as information regarding the unauthorized movement of the two destroyed cylinders linked to the April 7, 2018, chemical weapons incident in Douma.
The Syrian government should act quickly on these requests. This is the only way to deny all concerns about Syria’s noncompliance with the UNSC. Since April 20, 2021, Syria and the Declaration Assessment Team have been seeking to schedule consultations in Damascus.
An assessment team member from Syria has been denied entry into the country. By late October 2021, the Technical Secretariat also failed to organize a meeting between Syrian experts and OPCW staff at OPCW headquarters. According to her, Syria should grant unrestricted access to the OPCW staff assigned by its Secretariat as soon as possible, stressing that the OPCW Technical Secretariat needs active cooperation from Syria to resolve these outstanding issues.
According to the Technical Secretariat, the declaration submitted by Syria does not meet the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention at this point because there are many gaps, inconsistencies, and discrepancies.
The inspections were conducted by the Technical Secretariat between December 10 and 17, 2021. The Secretariat will report the results of the inspections of the Barzah and Jamrayah facilities of the Scientific Studies and Research Center in due course.
In November 2018, a Schedule 2 chemical was discovered at the center’s Barzah facilities. While the OPCW Technical Secretariat has provided sufficient technical explanations or information, it is not yet prepared to conclude the case.
The OPCW Director-General and Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates are continuing their discussions on the date, location, agenda, and composition of delegations for the in-person meeting.
To complete its investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the OPCW fact-finding mission collected data and conducted interviews in Syria between November 28 and December 10, 2021. COVID-19 pandemic information continues to be analyzed, and preparations are ongoing pending the evolution of the disease.
