Ambassador Attiya: The terrorist attack on the Military College in Homs came on orders from the United States and Western countries
Syria’s permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Hague, Ambassador Milad Attiya, confirmed that the terrorist attack on the Military College in Homs would not have occurred without the orders and directives of the United States, France and other Western countries, which are still providing support, financing, arming and training to terrorists present on Syrian territory. This Western approach has encouraged those terrorists to commit more heinous crimes against Syrian citizens.
Attiya said in a statement on Wednesday during the opening of the 104th session of the Organization’s Executive Council, that the Technical Secretariat of the Organization as an international organization ignored all international reports issued by the United Nations, and those submitted by committees and specialized teams to the Security Council. All submitted reports confirm that the groups listed on the Security Council’s lists as terrorist entities, such as “Al-Nusra Front” and “ISIS” organizations, were able to possess advanced weapons and aerial systems that terrorists used on multiple occasions. The clearest example of this is what terrorist groups have done recently through targeting a military college in Syria, with drones, during the graduation ceremony of its officer cadets, which resulted in the martyrdom of innocent citizens and the injury of others.
Attiya stressed that the Western approach encouraged the terrorists to commit more heinous crimes against Syrian citizens, including continuing to prepare to use toxic materials as weapons, to accuse the Syrian countries of them, warning of the possibility of terrorists loading these advanced drones with chemical weapons, and therefore, the danger of terrorists possessing and using Chemical weapons threaten innocent people in other parts of the world.
Attiya stated that Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention on October 14, 2013, based on its firm belief in the necessity of getting rid of one of the most dangerous types of weapons of mass destruction, and it was a purely Syrian sovereign decision, and its categorical rejection of the use of chemical weapons for moral and humanitarian reasons. Therefore it exerted its utmost effort and worked with diligence, commitment, credibility and transparency to implement all of its obligations under this accession process, within record time, despite the strict timetables imposed by the organization and the extremely difficult conditions that Syria went through as a result of the war imposed on it by the United States of America and its allies of Western countries and terrorist groups.
The Ambassador pointed out that over the past ten years, Syria has accomplished everything required of it, and cooperated fully with the organization’s technical secretariat and its teams, and Syria’s stock of chemical weapons was completely destroyed. The reports of the technical secretariat and the Organization’s Director-General confirm that all the chemical materials declared by Syria that left its territory in 2014 were destroyed, and the technical secretariat also verified the destruction of all chemical weapons production facilities declared by Syria.
Attiya stated that Syria faced a historically unprecedented campaign of skepticism and false accusations of non-cooperation with the organization and its technical secretariat. Regarding the chemical file in Syria, the Organization transformed from a technical organization with lofty goals to a tool in a geopolitical game led by the United States and its allies, as the organization moved away from professionalism and the goals for which it was established, and is currently experiencing an unprecedented division that threatens its future.
Attiya reiterated Syria’s categorical rejection of the use of chemical weapons by any party, at any time or place, and its emphasis that it has not and will not use these weapons because it does not possess them in the first place. It has expressed its clear position, on more than one occasion, that it is concerned with the presence of unbiased and fair investigation teams who work professionally and away from politicization, and not turn into a political tool to achieve the goals of Western countries known for their hostile positions on Syria since 2011 until now. However, the reality was exactly the opposite.
Attiya renewed Syria’s demand for the Technical Secretariat not to yield to the pressures exerted by Western countries, and to perform the tasks assigned to it as stipulated in the agreement, recalling its firm position on the “investigation and identification team” with deficient legitimacy, which was given a mandate that contradicts the provisions of the agreement. This prompted Syria and other countries not to recognize the legitimacy of this team and its work, and to reject any outputs issued or will be issued by it in the future, based on its respect, adherence and commitment to the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Ambassador stressed that achieving the universality of the Ban Convention represents a very important step in ensuring the establishment of an effective global regime against chemical weapons. However, this matter will not be achieved without obligating “Israel” to join the convention and place its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons under international control. But the practices of the Technical Secretariat with countries that join the Chemical Weapons Convention, especially in the current circumstances, do not encourage achieving the universality of the agreement. The irony is that no one discusses the threat of “Israel”, which possesses chemical weapons, to security and peace in the region and the world while the countries that join the agreement, such as Syria, are treated in a way that is not consistent with the minimum level of understanding and positivity.
Attiya called for international cooperation to confront the illegal restrictions imposed by some well-known countries on the transfer of scientific technology for peaceful purposes to developing countries with the aim of preventing them from achieving economic and scientific development for their people, and preventing them from using chemistry for peaceful purposes in a clear violation of the provisions of the Convention and international law. He renewed Syria’s categorical rejection of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on it by the United States and Western countries in clear and flagrant violation of the provisions of Article 11 of the Ban Convention, the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. He called on those countries, which falsely and slanderously claim their keenness on the Syrian people to stop this immoral and inhumane policy.
Attiya pointed out that some Western countries, led by the United States, France and Britain, are still working to involve the Organization in geopolitical and security issues of a regional and international nature. This is clearly demonstrated by those countries’ use of the meetings of the organization’s policy-making bodies as a platform for directing false accusations against Russia in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine. He stressed Russia’s right to defend itself and protect its national security in response to aggressive Western policies, and that Syria’s position in support of the operation was and will remain based on well-established political, moral and legal considerations and principles.
Inas Abdulkareem