Dandi: Latest OPCW’s decision against Syria increases division and politicization inside the organization

The latest decision made by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) against Syria creates the foundation for a dangerous stage in the work and future of this organization, increase polarization and politicization and embodies the unilateral stances of western states only, the Acting Charge de Affairs of Syria’s Permanent Delegation at the United Nations Al-Hakam Dandi said during a Security Council session on Friday.

Dandi held these western countries responsible for the negative impacts of imposing certain decisions that increase divisions and polarization inside the organization and affect its present and future.

The hostile statements by western countries’ representatives falsify the fact, provide a distorted image about Syria and ignore Syria’s all forms of cooperation with the OPCW and its technical teams during the past ten years, which is represented in the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpile and chemicals producing facilities, Dandi said.

“Syria rejects, in the strongest terms, the fallacies, distortion of facts and allegations contained in the statements of Western countries and reaffirms that it has fulfilled all its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and destroyed its entire chemical stockpile, and the chemical program has been closed and become a thing of the past,” he affirmed.

Dandi went on to say that following feverish and morally and politically unacceptable attempts by the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, a small minority in the Conference of States Parties to the OPCW voted to adopt hostile measures against Syria, which strictly adhered to the provisions of the CWC.

Dandi reiterated that the measures included in the decision contradict the provisions of article 11 of the CWC, which stress the need to implement the rules of the convention in a way that evades impeding economic and technological development in member states and the need to enhance international cooperation in the field of chemical activities for non-prohibited purposes under the convention.

“The Syrian Arab Republic rejects this decision as it is made out of the framework of the CWC which organizes the OPCW’s work, mainly the measures that violate the International Law and the UN Charter. Syria also stresses that the decision embodies the unilateral stances of the western countries only and shows that the goal is to achieve what the western countries couldn’t achieve through attacks and failed political campaigns against Syria during the past 12 years, through their open support for terrorism and through fabricating chemical attacks,” he made it clear.

Dandi went on to say that this western decision came as the Syrian national Committee was continuing its cooperation with the OPCW’s technical secretariat, through:

•  Submitting its monthly reports No. 118, 119, 120, and 121 for the past months regarding its activities in Syria
• Facilitating the holding of the 25th round of consultations of the Declaration Evaluation Team during the period between November 1st and 5th, 2023, and it has welcomed holding these consultations to make the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat’s mission a success.
• Agreeing on extending the tripartite agreement between Syria, the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat and the United Nations Office for Project Services for an additional period of six months, in order to facilitate the OPCW’s tasks in Syria.
• Submitting all the documents that answer the organization’s technical secretariat’s inquiries about the dual-use material that was seen by the inspection team at the Center for Scientific Studies and Research, during its 9^th inspection tour.
• Syria’s welcoming of the Technical Secretariat team’s conduct of the 10th inspection tour in the Center for Scientific Studies and Research during the period between December 1st and 6th, 2023, which is the first in this year. The National Committee has provided all the facilitations and information required for the success of that team’s mission.

Dandi expressed hope that the team will issue a final report that will reflect Syria’s cooperation and the facilitations it provides to the work of this team.

Hamda Mustafa