The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said the Syrian authorities handed over to the Secretariat team in Damascus 34 sealed cardboard boxes of documents that are being processed and further analyzed.
Briefing the UN Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 2118 on the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons program, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu welcomed on Thursday the Syrian government’s continued cooperation with OPCW, which has led to significant progress.
In early May, a team from the Organization went to Syria.
Nakamitsu stressed that the Syrian government has done courageous work to facilitate the OPCW’s work, and “we commend its continued cooperation.”
She said, the team is now ready to report that a “significant amount” of undeclared chemical weapons, related materials, and documentation – including evidence of previously undeclared chemical munitions –were already discovered.
Rockets were also found, of the same type as those that were used in the chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Ghouta in August 2013.
“These findings are a momentous discovery – not just for Syria, but for international security and the global disarmament regime,” Nakamitsu said, attributing their discovery to the OPCW’s unflagging efforts, the new Syrian government’s compliance with international law and the Council’s continued advocacy.
“This cooperation will remain critical going forward, as the newly discovered elements now need to be declared and destroyed, under the OPCW Technical Secretariat’s verification,” she said.
For her part, Deputy US Representative to the UN, Ambassador Tammy Bruce, welcomed the return of OPCW teams to Syria and the significant progress made by the Syrian government and the OPCW, including the discovery of previously undeclared chemical materials.
Bruce said affirmed that Syria has showed flexibility and determination to close this file and turn the page on the past, and we call for continued assistance in this step.
Several Council members also praised the progress.
Jennifer MacNaughtan, UK Minister Counsellor at the Security Council said Syria’s significant operational support to the Organization’s deployment in early May allowed access to priority sites, enabling the identification of dozens of chemical munitions such as aerial bombs and rockets.
She said the Assad regime claimed repeatedly that it had no active chemical weapons program after 2014, while this discovery demonstrates unequivocally that this claim was false.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi said the achievements of the Syrian teams constituted a decisive turning point in the efforts to uncover the Assad’s chemical weapons program and a major step forward in the path to accountability, thus providing an invaluable service to the region and the world by addressing the risks of proliferation and enhancing its security and stability.
While that work is critical and praiseworthy, Olabi nevertheless said the recent progress is bittersweet as it brings back terrible memories of the previous government. “Syria suffered from chemical weapons for more than 12 years,” he said, adding: “Today, it is committed to rid itself of its legacy.”
Also, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN affirmed that the chemical weapons file in Syria must be closed in order to direct resources towards reconstruction and development.
France’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont, said that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against its own people in at least nine confirmed cases, and hoped that the remaining chemical stockpiles will be secured and destroyed as quickly as possible.
“We welcome the Syrian government’s cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and this cooperation opens a new chapter in the country’s history,” Bonnafont added.
Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ioannis Ghikas, said that his country reiterates its full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria. The Syrian people deserve to turn the page on chemical weapons in their modern history, he added.
In a separate development, Syria's permanent delegation to the UN participated on Wednesday in the election of five non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2027–2028 term.
“We extend our warm congratulations to Kyrgyzstan, Austria, Portugal, Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago on their election,” the delegation said in a post on its X account.
“We look forward to working with you in the coming period in support of international peace and security and in furtherance of multilateral cooperation,” it added.
