10/07/2020

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons: Syrian regime must expose detailed information about the facilities of Sarin gas

THE HAGUE / DARAMSUQ (DAMASCUS) – In a recently published report, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) holds the Syrian regime responsible for launching attacks with Sarin gas. The majority of the organization’s members voted on the need to inform Damascus of the disclosure of the facilities in which Sarin and Chlorine have been produced. However, Russia, Iran, and China voted against the resolution that accuses Syria of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Most of the OPCW’s members voted in favor of warning Damascus about the possibility of taking action against it after carrying out an investigation, conducted by the organization for the first time, that the Syrian regime is responsible for launching nerve gas attacks.

The organization’s council almost unanimously voted to inform Syria to announce all the details related to the facilities where the Sarin and Chlorine, used in the 2017 attacks, have been produced.

However, Russia, Iran, and China voted against the OPCW resolution which accuses Damascus of violating the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The OPCW stressed that Damascus must expose all remaining chemical weapons, including Sarin and Chlorine. In case Syria fails to comply, the file will be submitted to the next annual meeting in November.

The Syrian government in Damascus continues to deny the use of chemical weapons and asserts that it has handed over all its chemical weapons under a 2013 agreement.

The first report of the organization’s new investigation team concluded that two Syrian fighters dropped Sarin nerve bombs and a helicopter dropped a barrel bomb filled with Chlorine on the town of Al-Lataminah.