Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on Syrian Chemical File
Madam President,
We thank Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, for her briefing.
We have closely studied the latest monthly report by OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias, particularly those sections concerning the two visits to Damascus by representatives of the Mission to assess Syria's initial declaration under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). We are pleased that the Technical Secretariat is gradually establishing solid working relationships with the Syrian side. We also welcome Qatar's commitment to the role it has undertaken to serve as a politically neutral and objective channel of communication with Damascus, as well as Doha's willingness to represent Syria in the OPCW until Syria’s permanent representative is appointed to this organization.
Overall, we note that progress in addressing the remaining issues related to Syria’s initial declaration can only be achieved if the OPCW leadership ensures that this process is free of political bias and is being conducted in a purely professional, objective, and impartial fashion. Unfortunately, we have serious doubts about this, given the OPCW Technical Secretariat's sad track record, which is full of violations and falsifications. The multiyear trend towards excessive politicization of the OPCW's activities undermines faith in its ability to perform its purely technical functions honestly and conscientiously, as stipulated by its mandate.
We are compelled to note that the current establishment of constructive relations between the new Syrian authorities and the OPCW does not cancel out the “attributive” decisions pushed through by Western countries in violation of the CWC nor the establishment of such illegitimate entities as the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), nor violations by the Technical Secretariat of working methods prescribed by the Convention. The political environment has nothing to do with it. It is purely an issue of the poor quality of work being done across the entire Organization. The fact of forgery in preparing the report on the incident in Douma has not been cancelled out either. Let me remind you that the final version of the report was heavily edited compared to the initial version thereof, which was confirmed by various sources, including former OPCW inspectors who were directly involved in investigating this incident. Attempts by those inspectors to make the OPCW leadership investigate what happened resulted in nothing. Instead, they were prosecuted for seeking the truth. Given all this, how can we trust any statements by the Secretariat on Syria? How can we talk of any trust in the OPCW structures as the whole?
What is particularly notable regarding this report is the dubious assessments by Director-General Mr. Arias – he claims that the current military situation in Syria is conducive to obtaining the most complete information possible about the former military chemical program of the SAR. We consider such statements to be not only premature, but also beyond the technical mandate of the OPCW.
We cannot ignore the objective reality: over the years of conflict, a significant part of Syrian territory repeatedly fell under the control of various armed groups. Many military and vital industrial facilities have been either destroyed or seriously damaged as a result of massive air strikes carried out by both the Western coalition and Israel.
Under such circumstances, it is impossible to talk about propery collectig new samples and searching for documents at these sites. The quality of the “new” materials obtained in such environment also appears dubious. It is obvious that in such conditions we cannoot talk about preserving the chain of custody or accurcay and verifiability of the evidence as well as its usefulness for objective analysis. Nor can we talk about being able to paint the full picture as the result of the inspections. Against this backdrop, attempts to initiate new inspections appear unjustified (to say the least) and can be seen as an attempt to shift responsibility onto the former Syrian authorities rather than as a step towards establishing the objective truth. In other words, all the prerequisites are in place for further politicization of the OPCW's work to serve the changed political situation in this country. This is not a trend for the UN Security Council should to support.
In this regard, we urge the OPCW Technical Secretariat to focus on a thorough analysis of the materials already available, collected over previous years. The only possible way to resolve the remaining issues within the framework of the initial declaration is through a professional and objective approach. Levelling new accusations without solid evidence not only fails to bring us closer to resolving the problem, but also exacerbates the mistrust and politicization surrounding the work of the OPCW.
When discussing the Syrian chemical file, we urge all parties to take into account the full context and complexity of the current domestic political situation in Syria, including the need to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, to restore state institutions, and combat terrorist threats. And Security Council Resolution 2218 should not become a political lever and a tool for settling scores. Otherwise, the fragile process of stabilization in the country could be jeopardized.
Thank you.
