President Al-Sharaa receives OPCW delegation
DAMASCUS, Feb.8, (ST)_Today, President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, As’ad Al-Shibani, received a delegation representing the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The delegation is headed by Fernando Arias Gonzalez, Director-General of the Organization.
Damascus-based Al-Watan newspaper quoted Gonzalez as saying:” Our meetings in Damascus pave the way for closing the Syrian chemical weapons file permanently.”
According to an article published by Al-Thwra newspaper, the arrival of the delegation today means that the new administration is ready for full cooperation, contrary to the method of procrastination that the ousted regime followed throughout the past years in order to avoid its legal and moral accountability for its use of chemical weapons against its opposition.
The ousted regime obstructed and prevented the UN investigation committees from carrying out their responsibilities, under the pretext of not recognizing the “Investigation Team,” which was entrusted with the task of identifying individuals or entities directly or indirectly involved in the use of chemical weapons.
The organization had emphasized in more than one report it issued the responsibility of the ousted regime for the use of chemical weapons in several locations where Hundreds of civilians were killed, including children and women.
Among those chemical attacks, we can number:
-Homs attack in September 2012
-Khan Al-Assal attack in March 2013
-Ghouta attack in August 2013
-Khan Shaykhun attack in April 2017
-Douma attack in April 2018.
Basma Qaddour
