OPCW 66th Meeting of the Executive Council: UK national statement
Statement by UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) David True, at the 66th Meeting of the Executive Council (EC-M-66).
Thank you Director-General for convening the Council and for your detailed briefing. I assure you of the UK’s continuing full support.
The brutal history of chemical weapons use in Syria must never be repeated. We are monitoring developments in Syria and engaging with our partners in the region. We note Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s commitment to protect chemical weapon sites, and not use chemical weapons under any circumstances. I reiterate that all parties in Syria are prohibited under UNSCR 2118 from using, developing, producing, otherwise acquiring, stockpiling or retaining chemical weapons, or transferring them to other States or non-State actors. Syria must continue to meet its obligations to the Chemical Weapons Convention. We also expect that personnel designated by the OPCW or the United Nations will be provided immediate and unfettered access — and the right to inspect — any and all chemical weapons sites. As my Foreign Secretary said, we will judge HTS by its actions.
The OPCW’s Declarations Assessment Team increased the number of outstanding issues with Syria’s chemical weapon declaration to 19 this year. Considering the complete lack of credible engagement with the OPCW by the previous Syrian Regime and at least 38 Assad directed chemical weapons attacks since 2013, it is likely that Syria’s declaration is even less accurate that many of us feared. Any unsecured toxic chemicals, research and production facilities present a significant proliferation risk at a time of increasing instability in the Middle East.
The priority must be, therefore, to identify the extent of the Syrian chemical weapons programme, to secure it and then begin the work of destroying it. This will be no simple task. It will require significant financial and logistical resource, wide diplomatic engagement, and coordination with the UN, other international organisations and civil society – including Syrian NGOs operating within the territory.
The OPCW is not new to this. It has verified the destruction of large scale programmes, including within countries suffering the effects of civil war. But the Technical Secretariat cannot do this alone. This Council and all Chemical Weapon Convention States Parties must commit to providing the support it requires to deliver its mandate and help eliminate the serious risk posed by the Assad regime’s chemical weapon programme. We must step up. The UK is committed to ensuring the Technical Secretariat can deliver an expanded Syria mission.
Assad has committed brutal atrocities against his own people for the last 13 years. The Syrian people have suffered for too long under his cruel tyranny. So many have been victim to his use of chemical weapons. They deserve a brighter future. They deserve justice. The work of the OPCW Fact Finding Mission and the Investigation and Identification Team must continue and both teams should be afforded unfettered access to Syria. Meanwhile, the UK will continue to work with a group of states from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe to consider criminal accountability for chemical weapons use.
I offer the UK’s full support to the Technical Secretariat as it works to confirm the status of the Syrian chemical weapons programme and prepares for an expanded mission.