Sabbagh stresses the need to revise wrong working methods of OPCW Technical Secretariat

NEW YORK, Jul.11, (ST)- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, stressed the necessity of making a comprehensive review of the wrong working methods adopted by the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and its teams, and working to guarantee that this technical organization is not turned into a tool to serve the hostile agendas of some countries against others.

Sabbagh said during the session of the Security Council that was held today on the “chemical file” in Syria: ‘Syria condemns the use of chemical weapons at any time, in any place, by anyone and under any circumstance, and it rejects lies uttered by some courtiers against it.”

He affirmed that Syria continues its cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a commitment to the Chemical Weapons’ Convention despite its notes on the manner of the work of the Organization’s Technical Secretariat.

“The Fact-finding mission’s incorrect methods and its distancing from the essence and core of the Agreement led it once again to unprofessional conclusions that indicate another proof to the double standards policy it is following,” Ambassador Sabbagh said, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency  (SANA).

Regarding developments related to cooperation between the Syrian National Committee and the technical secretariat of the organization, Sabbagh clarified that the committee submitted its 114th  and 115th  monthly reports for the months of May and June regarding the activities it conducted on its territory, and the committee also facilitated two visits of a small team of the declaration evaluation team to Damascus during this year. During which all aspects of cooperation and facilities were provided in terms of visiting some sites, collecting samples and interviewing witnesses.

Sabbagh added that based on the proposal of the Syrian National Committee, a separate meeting was held  in Beirut by the end of last month, during which the Syrian National Committee stressed the need to understand the specificity of “the Syrian file” and the difficult circumstances that accompanied it, and the importance of dedicating the work to resolve issues and not to raise issues violating national sovereignty.

He regretted the Syrian National Committee’s cooperation with the Technical Committee would be met with denial, not to say their concentration on the negatives, not the positives in the monthly reports.

Sabbagh renewed Syria’s keenness on holding a high-level meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, the Chairman of the Syrian National Committee, and the Director General of the  OPCW as soon as possible.

Basma Qaddour