Syria has lost its right to vote in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The resolution, proposed by France and adopted Wednesday April 21 by 87 member states, sanctions the Damascus regime for having violated its commitment to “Not to produce, stockpile and use chemical weapons”. Symbolic as it is, the decision marks a diplomatic defeat for Syria and its Russian and Iranian allies.
“Ten years after the start of the conflict in Syria, we cannot allow ourselves to be won over by indifference”, defended the Ambassador to the Netherlands and representative of France to the OPCW, Luis Vassy. At a time when some are talking about reconstruction and Damascus announces the holding of a presidential election on May 26, “We owe it to the Syrian people, who continue to aspire to a political solution that we support and which must comply with United Nations Security Council resolution 2254 [adoptée en décembre 2015, elle prévoit également des élections sous la supervision de l’ONU] “, said the diplomat.
In July 2020, Damascus was ordered to say, within ninety days, which weapons had been used in the chlorine and sarin gas attacks perpetrated on the town of Latamné at the end of March 2017. The investigation team and identification of the OPCW – created in 2018 to the chagrin of Damascus and Moscow, because it was mandated to identify the perpetrators of these attacks – concluded that the Syrian Air Force was responsible. The ninety-day ultimatum also required Syria to declare all weapons in its possession.
Not long ago, the same team attributed another attack to the regime, carried out on February 4, 2018 in Saraqeb. According to investigators, this chlorine bombardment was carried out by a Tiger forces helicopter. They note that the Syrian military commander appears to have “Delegated decisions on the use of chlorine to commanders at the operational level”.
“Text punctuated with threats”
Damascus had joined the OPCW to escape Western intervention, following an attack in Ghouta, near Damascus, on August 21, 2013, which left more than 1,200 dead. As such, he was required to declare and destroy his entire arsenal. However, at least 200 attacks, a large majority of which are believed to be attributable to the regime, have been recorded since joining the OPCW.
You have 67.2% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
