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In a press release on Saturday the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Director-General Fernando Arias and his team had met interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and caretaker Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, at their invitation \u2013 drawing a line under \u201c11 years of obstruction\u201d by the Assad regime, which was driven from power in early December.<\/p>\n
The meetings were described as long, productive, and open, with an in-depth exchange of information. This dialogue aims to break the long stalemate over use of the banned weapons during Syria\u2019s brutal civil conflict, and achieve tangible results.<\/p>\n
This visit marks the first step in re-establishing a direct working relationship between the OPCW Technical Secretariat and Syria.<\/p>\n
Discussions focused on Syria\u2019s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the OPCW\u2019s role and mandate, and the support the Technical Secretariat can provide to eliminate the remnants of Syria\u2019s chemical weapons programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis visit marks a reset. After eleven years of obstruction by the previous authorities, the Syrian caretaker authorities have a chance to turn the page and meet Syria\u2019s obligations under the Convention,\u201d<\/strong> said Director-General Arias.<\/p>\n \u201cMy presence in Damascus reflects the OPCW\u2019s commitment to rebuilding a relationship based on mutual trust and transparency. For over a decade, Syria\u2019s chemical weapons dossier was at a deadlock. Today, we must seize this opportunity together and break that impasse for the good of the Syrian people and the international community<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Since 2013, Syria\u2019s declaration of its chemical weapons programme has been incomplete, with significant quantities of outlawed weaponry unaccounted for.<\/p>\n Mr. Arias emphasised the OPCW\u2019s readiness to work with Syria\u2019s transitional authorities to address these open questions and implement its responsibilities to regain good standing within the organisation.<\/p>\n He presented the Secretariat\u2019s nine-point Action Plan for Syria to the interim President and caretaker Foreign Minister.<\/p>\n The Director-General reiterated the OPCW\u2019s commitment to support the country and bring it back into compliance as a member state.<\/p>\n By doing so, the caretaker authorities will safeguard the Syrian people, hold accountable any identified perpetrators of chemical weapons use, and bolster the country\u2019s reputation as a reliable and trusted member of the international community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis visit lays the ground for working together towards closing the Syrian chemical weapons file for good and fostering long-term compliance, regional stability, and contributing to peace and international security,\u201d<\/strong> said Mr. Arias.<\/p>\n Syria became a State Party to the CWC and a Member State of the OPCW in October 2013. A joint OPCW-UN mission in cooperation with the former Syrian authorities led to the removal and verifiable destruction of all declared chemical weapons.<\/p>\n However, questions about the accuracy and completeness of Syria\u2019s initial declaration have persisted.<\/p>\n The OPCW Action Plan, based on the Technical Secretariat\u2019s extensive experience, outlines the next steps: drawing an inventory of sites, equipment, munitions, chemicals, documents, people, and facilities; declaring all elements of the Syrian chemical weapons programme; and ensuring its verifiable elimination.<\/p>\n Long-term compliance with the CWC will be established through reinforced cooperation.<\/p>\n As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States aims to permanently eliminate chemical weapons.<\/p>\n Since the Convention\u2019s entry into force in 1997, it has been the most successful disarmament treaty on record, eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n In 2023, the watchdog verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the CWC since 1997 have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW\u2019s strict verification regime.<\/p>\n For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nFailure to verify<\/h2>\n
Commitment to Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Questions raised<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Groundwork for success<\/strong><\/h2>\n