After ten years of obstruction and denial by the Assad regime, we have a window of opportunity to end the threat of chemical weapons in Syria once and for all.
We welcome the progress made by the new Syrian government in delivering on its commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118, as underlined by Foreign Minister al Shaibani.
We also welcome the recent deployments to Syria by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The Director-General’s report confirming the presence of a nerve agent found at a site undeclared by the Assad regime affords us a deeper understanding of the serious nature and scope of the chemical weapons programme. Discoveries such as this underline the urgent need to maintain momentum.
The scale of the challenge means there is much more to do. We call on Syria and the OPCW, to accelerate their efforts to identify, secure and verifiably destroy all remaining chemical weapons.
We look forward to early decisions by the OPCW Executive Council to establish a clear mandate for this work to proceed safely and expeditiously.
President, it is clear that the OPCW requires technical, financial and logistical assistance from the international community to accomplish this vital work.
The United Kingdom continues to strongly support the work of the OPCW’s Technical Secreteriat and in July we pledged $2.7 million in support of the OPCW’s missions in Syria, in addition to the $1.1 million we had provided following the fall of the Assad regime. We urge all member states to support Syria to eliminate these weapons.
Finally, President the United Kingdom notes with concern that Israeli military actions have delayed OPCW deployments and risk undermining the security and stability of Syria and the wider region.
Preserving evidence at chemical weapons-related sites is essential to ensure accountability for both those who used these weapons, and their supporters. We therefore urge Israel to de-escalate and avoid any further disruption to this critical work.
President, this latest report is another stark reminder of the importance of this council continuing to support Syria and the OPCW so that the new Syrian Government can meet its international obligations and move towards a safer and more secure future for all Syrians.
