Iranian Deputy FM: Syria’s Decision to Join CWC Disappoints Extremists

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi in a meeting with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad in the Hague praised Damascus for joining the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and said the decision disappointed the extremists who intended to wage false-flag operations to pave way for foreign invasion of Syria, according to FNA.

 “The Syrian officials made a right and timely decision by joining the CWC and disappointed the extremists by this decision,” Araqchi said during the meeting which was held on the sidelines of a conference of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague, the Netherlands.

He said Iran supports Syria in implementing its undertakings after its accession to the CWC.

Meqdad, for his part, underlined that Syria is resolved to fulfill all its undertakings based on the CWC despite the abundant economic and security problems in Syria.

The international chemical weapons watchdog said late October that Syria has destroyed all of its declared chemical weapons production and mixing facilities, meeting a major deadline in the disarmament program.

The OPCW is “satisfied it has verified, and seen destroyed, all declared critical production/mixing/filling equipment from all 23 sites,” according to a document seen by Reuters.

OPCW earlier said its teams had inspected 21 out of 23 chemical weapons sites in Syria.

The equipment from the other two were too dangerous to inspect, but had been moved to other sites which experts had visited.

M.D