Syria Determined to Implement Its Obligations towards OPCW, Rejects Forging Facts

NEW YORK- Acting charge d’Affairs of Syria’s permanent delegation to the UN Munzer Munzer affirmed that Syria is determined to carry out all its obligations it has committed to when it joined the Chemical Weapons’ Convention (OPCW) and it totally rejects fabricating accusations or forging the facts, SANA reported.

“The government of the Syrian Arab republic categorically denies the allegations and false accusations about the use of poisonous, chemical weapons by the Syrian Arab army in Khan Sheikhoun region against Syrian civilians who are besieged by the armed terrorist groups and used as human shields there. Syria also affirms that the Syrian army doesn’t possess any kind of chemical weapons and it has not used them and it won’t use them in the future,” Munzer said Wednesday in a statement at a UN Security Council session on the use of chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhoun.

 He added that Syria’s stance is principled and firm which rejects and condemns the crime of using chemical weapons or any form of WMD by any side, at any time or place and under any circumstance, considering it as a crime against humanity, unjustified and immoral issue.

“Launching politicized and fabricated accusations against Syria and its allies in the war against terrorism affirms that some sides in this Council, including Turkey and other countries that support terrorism will go ahead in their dangerous practices which seek to defame Syria and blackmail its government, obstruct talks of Astana and Geneva as well as destroy aspects of reaching a political solution to the crisis in the country,” Munzer said.

He wondered about the first beneficiary side of using chemical, poisonous materials against safe civilians, affirming that the answer is clear as the first beneficiary side are those regimes that have targeted Syria since more than 6 years until now, those countries which try to rescue the armed terrorist groups and the allied opposition sides to escape from the political process of Geneva and Astana.

“Syria, which totally rejects forging the facts or fabricating accusations, asserts its determination to carry out its obligations it has committed to when it joined the Chemical Weapons’ Convention and to the war against terrorism which didn’t stop under the impact of any political or media blackmail attempt.

Obama’s Policy Triggered Chemical Attacks in Syria — Russia’s UN Deputy Envoy

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Vladimir Safronkov said at Wednesday’s session of the UN Security Council that the policy of former US administration headed by Barack Obama, which warned of military operations in Syria in case chemical weapons attacks were carried out, has pushed terrorists to act this way.

“The former US administration’s so-called red lines, which should have triggered a military interference in the internal Syrian conflict if crossed, marked a watershed in the history of toxic chemicals in Syria and followed by full-blown poisonous substances,” Safronkov said. “That decision became a pivot for further provocations by terrorist and extremist bodies, with the use of chemical weapons,” Tass reported.

The West’s interest in incidents with chemical weapons “unfortunately has a well-defined ideological slant,” he added.

“We can say that it is inextricably interwoven with the fabric of anti-Damascus campaign that is still dragging its feet towards the dustbin of history it deserves,” he added.

“At the time, our Western partners preferred to keep silent, including over the request from Damascus submitted in March 2013 to investigate the use by militants of the Sarin nerve agent in an attack on Aleppo outskirts,” Safronkov said. “We are hopeful it will not be repeated this time.”