Welcoming Syria’s cooperation with the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Pakistan has stressed the importance of independent verification to eliminate any suspected chemical weapons developed under the Assad regime and to address potential risks of proliferation.
“We look forward to Syria’s continued cooperation, in full compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and relevant Security Council resolutions, to bring the Syrian chemical weapons file to a close as soon as possible,” Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
The 15-member Council convened to review Syria’s chemical weapons dossier, focusing on the use, monitoring, and compliance with international obligations related to chemical arms.
Referring to observations by the OPCW Technical Secretariat, the Pakistani envoy also emphasised the need to bridge the gap between the information Syria is required to provide and the capacity it currently possesses to do so.
“Continued international support to Syria and the Technical Secretariat, therefore, remains critically important,” he said.
At the same time, Ambassador Jadoon said Pakistan supports Syria’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are essential for durable peace and stability, while also backing an inclusive, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political process.
The Pakistani envoy pointed out that Syria’s security situation is severely affected by Israel’s military occupation of parts of Syrian territory and its continued strikes on Syrian sites and facilities, which have also impeded OPCW’s technical work.
Pakistan, he said, appreciates the commitment of the Syrian authorities to fully implement the CWC, secure suspected chemical weapons sites and address outstanding issues, while reaffirming Islamabad’s opposition to the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances.
At the outset of the debate, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo told the Council that since 2014, OPCW has been unable to verify the accuracy of Syria’s original chemical weapons declaration.
He said Syria’s new government is now cooperating with the OPCW Technical Secretariat to clarify the programme’s full scope, including more than 100 additional sites beyond the 26 declared locations. Some sites are in dangerous areas, posing risks to inspection teams.
Welcoming the government’s “commendable” cooperation, Ebo stressed there is a “critical opportunity” to obtain long-overdue clarifications and eliminate all chemical weapons, urging Council members to “show leadership” and provide sustained international support.
Source: Express Tribune
