Two Cylinders Seized by Syrian Army in Armed Groups-Controlled Area Contained Sarin – U.N.

UNITED NATIONS-Two cylinders seized by the Syrian Arab Army in an area controlled by foreign-backed armed groups contained deadly sarin, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council published on Monday.

According to Reuters, Ban said that on June 14, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) United Nations Joint Mission overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpile analyzed the contents of the cylinders.

“The Joint Mission confirmed that these contained sarin,” said Ban’s letter. The letter said the cylinders were seized by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic in August 2013 in an area under the control of armed groups.

OPCW Chief Ahmet Uzumcu said in a report attached to Ban’s letter that the Syrian government told the organization “the items did not belong to it.”

Syria agreed last September to destroy its chemical weapons under a deal negotiated with the United States and Russia.

Sigrid Kaag, head of the joint mission, briefed the U.N. Security Council behind closed doors on Monday that Syria handed over the final consignment of its chemicals on June 23. The toxins have been removed from Syria for destruction at sea or in other countries.

H. Mustafa