April 24, 2024 13:52 (IST)
Follow us:
UN urges Syria to complete chemical weapons removal
New York, Apr 28 (IBNS): Nearly eight percent of Syria's declared chemical weapons material remains on its territory and should be removed in the shortest possible timeframe, despite the difficult security situation, the head of the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations on Sunday urged.
Briefing journalists in Damascus, the Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission, Sigrid Kaag, called on Syrian partners to complete the removal of the remaining chemical weapons material.
“It is the Joint Mission's hope and expectation that - having come this close to meeting the target date for the removal of chemicals weapons material - the Syrian Arab Republic will take the final step very soon,” Kaag said referring to Sunday's deadline for the Government to remove its declared stockpile of chemical weapons material.
The Joint Mission has said 92.5 percent of the programme has been removed or destroyed in-country, including all declared production, mixing and filling equipment and munitions, as well as some buildings associated with its Chemical Weapons Programme.
She added that every effort must be made to achieve the Jun 30, 2014 deadline set by OPCW Executive Council Decisions and the UN Security Council, by which time the full arsenal is to be destroyed.
A team from the OPCW Technical Secretariat has been working with Syrian officials “to obtain clarifications, and address discrepancies and anomalies” and has reported “fruitful discussions and tangible progress”, Kaag added.
Twelve chemical weapons production facilities are under review by the OPCW Executive Council in The Hague regarding the modalities for their destruction.
The removal of the most critical material for destruction began in early January, in line with an agreement brokered by Russia and the United States under which Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons.
In addition to the removal operations, the Syrian authorities have destroyed buildings, equipment and empty mustard gas containers, and decontaminated other containers in a number of chemical weapons storage and production sites.
Turning to allegations in recent weeks of toxic chlorine gas attacks in several parts of the country, Kaag urged that all necessary steps be taken to establish the facts surrounding these “unsubstantiated allegations”.
“I understand that the OPCW Technical Secretariat has been in touch with the Syrian government in this regard,” she said, adding that since Syria is now a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW is the appropriate body to assess these allegations.
The OPCW's probe of these incidents would be conducted outside of the Joint Mission mandate.
[Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission of the OPCW and the UN Sigrid Kaag (second left) inspecting preparations for the elemination of chemical weapons at the Syrian Port of Latakia in December 2013. Photo: OPCW-UN Joint Mission]
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Saudi national kidnapped in Pakistan Tue, Apr 23 2024
UK, Germany detain suspected Chinese spies Tue, Apr 23 2024
Navy helicopters collide mid-air in Malaysia, 10 crew members die Tue, Apr 23 2024
Independent review panel releases final report on UNRWA Tue, Apr 23 2024
Thousands of children killed or maimed by explosive weapons in populated areas: UNICEF Tue, Apr 23 2024
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for UN 2.0 to tackle 21st century challenges Tue, Apr 23 2024