China: Any investigation into alleged chemical attacks in Syria must be objective and professional

New York(ST): China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Geng Shuang called on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to cooperate and conduct dialogue with Syria, stressing the need to refrain from exerting any political pressure on it.

Xinhua quoted the Chinese deputy representative as saying during a session of the UN Security Council  as saying: “China encourages the technical secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to strengthen dialogue with Syria to jointly resolve outstanding issues, and the international community should create favorable conditions for dialogue and cooperation between the two sides and respect Syria’s legitimate concerns and avoid putting political pressure on it.”

 Geng also called for a return to the framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the obligation of all states parties to protect the authority and integrity of the convention, and that any investigation into incidents of the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria should strictly adhere to the terms of the convention and the verification annex, based on the principles of objectivity, professionalism and impartiality.

K.Q.