Al-Dahhak: Well-known countries continue to cover up terrorist organizations’ crimes and politicize “Chemical file” in Syria

NEW YORK, March.10, (ST)-Syria has affirmed that well-known countries continue to cover up crimes of terrorist organizations and to politicize the so-called “chemical file” in the country, indicating that it eliminated its stockpile of weapons and destroyed the production facilities and cooperated with the  Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to close this file. 

 

Deputy of Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN , Advisor Qosuy Al-Dahhak, said in a Security Council session on Thursday: “ On the 19th of March , 2013, the terrorist organizations launched a shell bearing chemical toxic materials on Khan al-Assal area in Aleppo province, killing 25 people, most of them from the Syrian Arab Army, while 110 others suffered from cases of suffocation. So,  Syria called on the former UN Secretary-General to form an independent technical mission to investigate into the incident, but unfortunately and despite the procrastination for months to form that mission, it has never visited the site of the accident and no investigations have been conducted into it until today. Therefore, Khan al-Assal incident remains evidence on well- Known countries’ coverage to the crimes of terrorist organizations and on the extent of manipulation and politicization regarding the so-called Syrian chemical file.”

 

He added that what was done regarding the investigation into the Khan al-Assal incident has become, over the past years, a method for the fact-finding mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons in dealing with requests sent by Syria to the mission to investigate into many incidents in which terrorist organizations used weapons and toxic chemicals against civilians and military personnel, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). 

 

Al-Dahhak made it clear that Syria voluntarily joined the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), eliminated its stockpile of those weapons, destroyed its production facilities, and was keen to address some pending issues through its cooperation with the organization to close this file completely.

 

“Over the past years, the Syrian National Committee facilitated holding 24 rounds of consultations with the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team and positively responded to holding the 25th round in The Hague,” he added, indicating that the organization’s technical secretariat is responsible for the delay in holding the 25th round  under false pretext,” Al-Dahhak stated. 

 

He stressed that the success of the OPCW in assuming its mission won’t be achieved by applying pressure and imposing dictates on it or by politicizing the work of its agencies. “The organization should not be a tool for serving the agendas of some countries.”

 

Basma Qaddour