Amid Evolving Political Reality, Security Council Speakers Urge Breakthrough on Syria’s Chemical Weapons Compliance
The new political reality in Syria presents an opportunity to obtain long-overdue clarifications on the Syrian chemical weapons programme, rid the country of all such weapons and ensure long-term compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
“The importance of closing all outstanding issues related to Syria’s chemical weapons dossier cannot be overstated,” said Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, during her briefing to the 15-member Council.
Although the previous Syrian authorities submitted 20 amendments to Syria’s initial declaration, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Declaration Assessment Team was never able to confirm that the information was accurate. Over the last 11 years, the Team has raised and reported a total of 26 outstanding issues with Syria’s declaration.
“The OPCW Technical Secretariat has reported that the substance of the 19 outstanding issues remains a ‘serious concern’ as it involves large quantities of potentially undeclared or unverified chemical warfare agents and chemical munitions,” she added.
The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission and the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team have documented the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and in several incidents, identified the Syrian Arab Armed Forces as the perpetrators. The OPCW Technical Secretariat has reported that Syria continued to use, and possibly produce, chemical weapons after joining the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013. “The situation left by the previous Syrian authorities is extremely worrying,” she went on to stress.
But, there are some encouraging signs. The OPCW Director-General recently received assurances that the new authorities are committed to destroying any remains of the chemical weapons programme, bringing justice to the victims and ensuring Syria’s compliance with international law. A new focal point for chemical weapons matters within the Syria’s Foreign Ministry travelled to The Hague for in-person meetings with the OPCW Technical Secretariat on how to advance the OPCW’s “Nine-Point Action Plan for Syria”.
In the coming days, a team of experts from the OPCW Technical Secretariat will be deployed to Damascus to establish OPCW’s permanent presence in Syria and start jointly planning deployments to chemical weapons sites. While the commitment of the caretaker authorities in Syria to fully cooperate with the OPCW Technical Secretariat is commendable, the work ahead will not be easy and will require additional resources from the international community. “I urge the members of this Council to unite and show leadership in providing the support that this unprecedented effort will require,” she said.
In the ensuing discussion among Council members, many speakers took note of the developments reported to date, underscoring them as important steps towards implementing relevant Council resolutions and securing Syria's fulfilment of its international commitments. Several speakers also stressed the importance of ensuring that chemical weapons do not fall into the hands of non-State actors.
Need to Prevent Transfer of Mass Destruction Weapons to Terrorists
“Terrorists cannot be allowed to have access to weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons,” Pakistan’s delegate said. The new Syrian authorities must address long-standing questions and ensure unimpeded access to enable the OPCW to independently and fully verify the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria, he emphasised. China’s delegate also said that effectively resolving the Syrian chemical issue will help prevent chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. Resolving the issue of Syrian chemical weapons should be a top priority for the international community, he added, warning that the risk of terrorist organizations within Syria expanding their position in the country “remains high”.
Greece's delegate stressed the importance of “securing chemical weapons-related locations and materials therein, during the [political] transition” in Syria. According to the latest OPCW monthly reports, he noted, no monthly report was received recently from Syria and its authorities have not completed declaring all the chemical weapons it currently possesses, including sarin, sarin precursors and chlorine. The interim Government must work constructively with OPCW to close the 19 outstanding issues, and thus to confirm that it has abandoned the use of chemical weapons and concluded the total destruction of stockpiles.
Several speakers highlighted the plight of the Syrian people, with Slovenia’s delegate emphasizing that Syrian civilians still await justice after 14 years of bloody conflict. “The use of chemical weapons has always resulted in a human tragedy,” she recalled. The representative of Denmark, Council President for March, speaking in her national capacity, stressed the importance of justice for Syrians who were victim to the Assad regime's horrific chemical attacks. “The toppled regime of Bashar al-Assad had used these inhumane weapons against its own people in at least nine cases documented by independent investigations,” echoed France’s delegate. And for more than 11 years, the Assad regime obstructed the work of OPCW, he recalled.
‘Historic Opportunity’ for Renewed Momentum
“This is an opportunity that must not be squandered,” the representative of Panama stressed, echoing many speakers who also spotlighted this moment as a unique chance for Syria to start fresh. Efforts are being made to rebuild institutions and restore the rule of law. In the same vein, he also echoed several speakers as he expressed concern over increasing clashes and tensions across the country. “We urge all parties to halt this escalation and to prioritize dialog and stability,” he urged.
“We have a historic opportunity to close this dark chapter in history and to start a new one — creating a Syria that is safer for its people and more secure for the region and the world,” said the representative of the United States, underscoring that all elements of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons programme must now be secured, declared and safely destroyed under international verification. This imperative is two-fold: to bring Syria into compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and critically, to ensure that any remaining elements do not end up in the wrong hands, she said. However, “the window of opportunity is short”, she cautioned, highlighting “a tremendously important mission” before OPCW.
The fall of the Assad regime presents “a golden opportunity” to destroy Syria’s remaining chemical weapons programme, said the speaker for the United Kingdom, as he welcomed the commitments already made by the Syrian interim authorities to fully cooperate with OPCW. For things to progress, however, the international community must provide the financial and technical assistance that is required. He also urged Israel to de-escalate their actions in Syria, adding that such military moves risk destabilizing an already fragile situation. The representative of Republic of Korea also called on regional actors to refrain from actions that could impede Syria's full implementation of its Chemical Weapons Convention obligations. Israel's air strikes could not only create a risk of contamination, but also lead to the destruction of valuable evidence for investigations related to past use of chemical weapons. “Broader accountability measures must be pursued as part of Syria's political transition,” he stressed.
Moscow Questions Expert Deployment to Chemical Weapons Sites
The Russian Federation’s delegate stated that his country was instrumental in Syria’s accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, which placed its chemical arsenal under international control. “On the whole, we support any progress that would help resolve the remaining outstanding issues in Syria’s initial declaration,” he said. However, he expressed doubts about the OPCW’s ability to carry out its technical mandate impartially, citing long-standing concerns over the politicization of its work. Cautioning against the deployment of full-fledged OPCW teams in Syria, he argued that any conclusions such missions might reach “won’t enjoy the trust of the international community”. Given the uncertain conditions in the country, verifying the presence of chemical weapons is “not the top priority for the current authorities,” he said, emphasizing: “We need to understand this and not push ahead with this topic.”
Other speakers commended recent diplomatic progress, with Algeria’s delegate, speaking also for Guyana, Sierra Leone and Somalia, acknowledging the recent engagement between Syria and OPCW and the designation by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a new focal point for chemical weapons matters. He commended Qatar’s “instrumental role” as a revitalizing channel for engagement. While recognizing the challenges faced by the Declaration Assessment Team in addressing all outstanding issues, he welcomed the readiness of the new Syrian leadership to inaugurate a new chapter of open and transparent relations with the Organization.
Türkiye’s delegate said that the high-level discussions during this visit of the OPCW Director-General “represent a crucial turning point in establishing direct cooperation between Syria and the OPCW, putting an end to years of stagnation”. Echoing several other speakers, he commended Qatar for temporarily assuming the role of representing Syria’s interests at OPCW, and also called on the Council to take decisive action against Israel’s expansionist and destabilizing acts.
New Foreign Policy, New Phase of Cooperation
For his part, Syria’s representative said his country is “keen to adopt a new foreign policy” grounded in international law, and to honour its obligations under international legal instruments it has acceded to. Accordingly, he reiterated his country’s commitment to cooperate with OPCW and “close this file once and for all”. However, he stressed that Israel’s aggression against several military and civilian facilities in Syria on 9 December 2024 complicates the relevant logistical, technical and practical challenges.
Highlighting “a new phase of cooperation” with OPCW, he requested that Syria’s privileges and rights as a State party — which have been suspended — be restored and collective punitive measures be lifted. “This undermined its efforts to achieve economic development and meet the needs of its people,” he observed, adding that Syria is keen today to eliminate the threat posed by prohibited chemical weapons, promote international peace and stability and “ensure that these atrocities will not occur in the future”.