Russian-US draft resolution on Syria will be submitted to UNSC on Friday – Lavrov

Russia and the United States have agreed upon a draft resolution addressing Syria’s chemical weapons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on Friday.

The document will be submitted to the UN Security Council (UNSC) today, he said.

“We have fully agreed upon draft decisions that will be forwarded to the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the Hague within the next few minutes. We have also agreed upon a Russian-American draft resolution that will be submitted to the UNSC today in order to support the decision that I hope will be adopted by the OPCW,” he said, according to Voice of Russia.

Any side’s use of chemical weapons in Syria may prompt new Security Council decision – Lavrov

Should any side in the Syrian conflict use chemical weapons in the country, the UN Security Council will look into such instances and might even adopt decisions under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.

“The [draft] resolution includes the agreement reached in Geneva that if there are any violations of these [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] procedures by any side, or if chemical weapons are used by any side, only then the [UN] Security Council will revisit these instances and may be prepared to adopt decisions under Chapter 7 proportionate to the gravity of these violations,” he said.

“We have reached complete agreement on the draft resolution which is now being submitted to the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague. We have also agreed on Russian-US draft resolution on Syria which will be submitted to the UN Security Council later tonight”, said Lavrov during the press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 68th session.

 “The resolution which will be submitted to the UN Security Council is in line with the Geneva framework on the commitment to place Syrian chemical weapons stockpile under international control,” Lavrov said. “There will be no enforcement in line with Chapter 7.”

However, if there is any violation by any party – as the resolution also calls on the “opposition” to assist in the disarmament process – the Security Council will convene again and will be ready to take any enforcement measures in line with Chapter 7, Lavrov added.

According to Lavrov, the draft resolution emphasizes the need to rely on the professionalism of the OPCW experts and calls on the UN Secretary General to assist the experts in the implementation of the reached agreements.

“The resolution appeals to the UN Secretary General to assist the UN experts in all the work they perform in Syria and describes all the rules that the Syrian side has to comply with as a member of the Convention for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and as a country that has invited experts from the OPCW to take control of and ultimately destroy their chemical arsenal”, Lavrov said.

“We hope that in the near future there will be a vote regarding these two documents in the Hangue and in New York”, Lavrov asserted.

“Overall, I am pleased with the work we’ve done, and I expect that this Russian-American initiative, which has received broad support globally, will be supported in practical terms by the OPCW and the UN Security Council”, Lavrov concluded. 

M.D