Statement of the Islamic Republic of Iran
On the “implementation of Security Council Resolution 2118: OPCW Fact Finding Mission (FFM) Report on Douma”
At the United Nations Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting
New York, 20 January 2020
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In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to appreciate your efforts for convening this meeting which can shed a light to the ongoing facts about the issue of use of chemical weapons in Syria. This kind of meetings can invalidate the fabricated stories that have tried to mislead the international community on truth and the required approaches.
The fact that the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic while combating the terrorist groups and facing the illegal foreign military interventions took concrete decision and managed to fulfil its obligations on destruction of its chemical weapons and related facilities, is of utmost importance that must be duly noted. It is also the fact the OPCW Technical Secretariat has verified the destruction of those weapons and also destruction of all 27 declared chemical weapons production facilities. Another fact is that Syria has continued to work with the OPCW to solve any remaining issues for which it has held several rounds of talks with the OPCW and has submitted more than seventy monthly reports along with many supplementary explanations.
The list of facts is continuing. Syria itself has been a victim of use of chemical weapons and has invited the OPCW FFM to investigate on the chemical attacks that have taken place against Syrian military and civilians. It has received several FFM delegations and has cooperated with them to prove that it has been a victim of chemical weapons attacks by terrorist groups.
We believe that given this remarkable cooperation on both issues, namely, destruction of chemical weapons as well as investigation of alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, the international community should commend these facts. However, what we have seen is the opposite and it is the political pressure of some players to not only ignore the said facts but also to illegally interfere in this situation. The U.S., U.K. and France missile attacks on 14 April 2018 to a Syrian airbase is just one example in this context.
On the other hand, we have observed reports of the FFM which have been far from meeting a normal expectation of such reports. The reports that shall be completely impartial and professional but they have failed to meet those minimum requirements. One clear example is the FFM report on the incident in Douma, on 7 April 2018.
Based on the provisions of the CWC and the procedures set for the inspections and investigations of alleged use of chemical weapons, their report(s) shall be factual, objective, and transparent and be based on professionalism and impartiality. We, as an active State Party to the CWC and the major victim of systematic use of chemical weapons in the contemporary history, are strongly concerned about any manipulation in the composition of the FFM and their reports. In the same vein, I would like to emphasize on the necessity of observing the policy and principles of confidentiality by both the OPCW Technical Secretariat and its staff. No breach of confidentiality should be ignored, rather they should be tackled seriously based on the said rules, and the States Parties should be informed about the result consequently.
These concerns should be dealt with seriously by ensuring the application of all legal and professional requirements foreseen in the CWC as well as the decisions of the OPCW Policy Making Organs. Otherwise, the whole credibility of the OPCW and its various reports will be at serious jeopardy.
I would like to reiterate our strong conviction that in order to guarantee the integrity and credibility of the OPCW, the activities of FFM should be of technical and depoliticized nature, based on validated information received from authorized and reliable sources and carried out professionally and impartially.
I thank you, Mr. Chairman.