Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
New York, SANA-Syria has reiterated the necessity of closing the chemical file completely and getting it out of the political tricks and misleading media campaigns as Syria has met all its obligations regarding its access to Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013.
“I listened with great interest to the statements of envoys of the member states , and while I reiterate my country’s appreciation for the stances of the member states that adhere to the principles of International law and the provisions of its Charter, and while I express Syria’s condemnation of the use of chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction at any time, place and under any circumstance, I stress once again that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OPCW) is a technical organization, but it has turned from a technical organization, which has noble goals, into a tool in a geopolitical game led by the US and its allies instead of being a faithful guard to implement the chemical weapons convention,” Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Syria’s representative to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, said during a session for Security council via video on the situation in Syria.
He called on OPCW member states to reject politicizing the technical feature of the Organization and treat its work defects and politicization that undermine the status and credibility of the Organization.
Al-Jaafari reiterated that Syria has never used chemical weapons and it still committed, in cooperation with the Organization and its technical secretariat and the assessment team, to settle all pending issues and pave the way for closing the file completely as soon as possible and get it out of the circle of political tricks and misleading media.
He went on to say that after Syria’s accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, it has worked with full commitment, credibility and transparency to implement all its obligations despite the strict timetables set by organization and the very difficult conditions Syria has been passing through during that stage, nevertheless, it has accomplished all what was required from it and fully cooperated with the technical secretariat of the organization and its teams, and this was recognized by the organization and its director general.
Al-Jaafari added that few days ago, Syria has provided all required facilities and cooperation to the “Declaration Assessment Team” that visited Syria recently, and to another team that left the country on the 24th of last month.
He stressed that some Western countries, despite Syria’s cooperation with ‘OPCW’ and its teams, continue to question the Syrian declaration and Syria’s cooperation with the technical secretariat, presenting an incorrect image about its cooperation with ‘Declaration Assessment Team’ and the deliberate ignorance of the progress that has been made so far to keep this file open.
Al-Jaafari expressed Syria’s regret over the failure of some countries at the Security Council to deal with objectivity and professionalism with this file and their non-commitment to adhere to the rules and principles stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations during the deliberations that take place in each monthly briefing session of the Council regarding the implementation of its resolution No. 2118.
Shaza al-Ashkar/ MHD Ibrahim/ Mazen Eyon
