The Hague - New York: Europe and the Arabs
Only hours have passed since the speech delivered by the Syrian Foreign Minister in the interim authority before the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during a historic visit to the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, during which Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani confirmed the commitment of the new Syrian authorities to cooperate with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to eliminate the chemical weapons program of the former Syrian regime.
Afterwards, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, said that the new political reality in Syria represents an opportunity to obtain long-awaited clarifications regarding the Syrian chemical weapons program, rid the country of all these weapons, normalize relations with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and ensure the country's long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, and she confirmed that Syria "has begun to take steps towards this goal."
In a briefing to the Security Council yesterday, Friday, on the implementation of Security Council Resolution No. 2118, regarding the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program, Ms. Nakamitsu indicated that 19 issues related to Syria's declaration to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are still pending, and they involve large quantities of undeclared or unconfirmed war agents and chemical munitions. The OPCW Technical Secretariat has reported that it is “undeniable” that the former Syrian authorities failed to declare the full extent of their chemical weapons programme, and that they continued to use and possibly produce chemical weapons after acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013.

“The situation left behind by the former Syrian authorities is deeply worrying,” the High Representative said. “I am therefore encouraged that the new authorities have expressed their willingness and commitment to embark on a new chapter of cooperation with the OPCW to address outstanding issues.”

She noted the visit of the OPCW Director-General with a high-level delegation to Damascus in February at the invitation of the caretaker Foreign Minister, as well as a focal point for chemical weapons issues within the ministry. She also welcomed the commitment expressed by the new authorities to destroy any remnants of the chemical weapons programme developed under the former regime, “to provide justice for the victims, and to ensure Syria’s compliance with international law.”
Ms. Nakamitsu said that the new Syrian authorities and the OPCW Technical Secretariat had already begun working towards these goals. She informed the Council that a team of technical experts from the organization would be deployed in the coming days to Damascus to work on establishing a permanent presence in Syria and begin joint planning for deployment to chemical weapons sites. While she commended the caretaker authorities for their commitment to full and transparent cooperation with the OPCW, she said that the work ahead would not be easy given the significant humanitarian, security and recovery needs in the country. She stressed that accomplishing all the tasks necessary to rid Syria of its chemical weapons would require strong support and additional resources from the international community. She urged Council members to unite and “show leadership in providing the support that this unprecedented effort will require.”