Syria rejects any conclusions by fact-finding mission on allegations about use of chemical weapons in Syria’s Douma

The HAGUE, (ST)- Syria’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons  (OPCW) in The Hague Bassam Sabbagh has stressed Syria’s rejection of any conclusions issued by the fact-finding mission team on allegations about the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian city of Douma, stressing that Syria considers the decision to form the team as illegal as it was not based on the provisions of the prohibition treaty and it sets a dangerous precedent by tasking a technical organization with some issues that come within the authority and specialization of the Security Council.

 “Syria joined the CWC in 2013 and it has implemented all its commitments and destroyed its chemical weapons and production facilities under very difficult and complicated circumstances,” Sabbagh said in Syria’s statement at the 24th session of the conference of the countries member in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), reiterating that the United States is still reluctant to destroy its huge arsenal of chemical weapons and it keeps exceeding implementation deadlines.

 Sabbagh affirmed Syria’s keenness in continuing positive and constructive cooperation with the OPCW Technical Secretariat and its various teams and to move forward with the organized dialogue launched earlier this year.  He pointed out that several rounds of consultations were held between the Syrian National Committee and the Technical Secretariat team in Damascus and The Hague, expressing Syria’s hope that discussions on some pending issues will be completed as soon as possible to close the file.

Sabbagh reiterated Syria’s condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by anyone, at any time or place or under any circumstances. He also reiterated Syria’s categorical rejection of some countries’ attempts, especially the United States, to make baseless accusations against Syria to serve their own plans and agendas.

Sabbagh pointed out that what was shocking is that the U.S. has preempted the investigations of the fact finding mission regarding the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria by launching military attacks on Syria in a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, by creating lies and ignoring the OPC W authority.
He said that Washington tries to mislead the public opinion after every Syrian military achievement in fighting terrorism ,or after any progress achieved in the political process, noting that the aim is to create pretexts for attacking Syria.

Sabbagh explained that Syria, which has cooperated with the fact-finding mission and provided all necessary facilities for its work, regrets the mission’s non- compliance with the provisions of the CWC and the terms of reference of its work as well as the mission’s refusal to visit the sites of the attacks under various pretexts .Syria also regrets that remote investigations have been conducted based on pictures and videos published in open sources after being fabricated by the White Helmets, the arm of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization. In addition, the mission received samples that it hasn’t directly collected and listened to the testimonies of  witnesses brought from pro- terrorist groups environment.

He added that said that the fact-finding mission report on Douma distorted reality and this is scientifically unacceptable as the leaked e-mail of one of the mission’s inspectors eliminates any credibility of the report.

Sabbagh pointed out that ignoring the leaked report of the inspector Ian Henderson, a former member of the fact-finding mission, raised fundamental questions that put the credibility of the work and the report of the mission to the test, but the e-mail leaked by one of the inspectors who participated in the investigations and addressed to the office of the Director-General of the organization has left no credibility to the mission’s report.

Sabbagh said that Syria renews its call on the OPCW to send a fact-finding mission to the areas liberated by the Syrian Arab army from terrorism to investigate the incidents that previously occurred in these areas in order to reach true conclusions.

Hamda Mustafa