Statement by

H.E. Mr.  Amir Saeid Iravani

Ambassador and Permanent Representative

of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

Before the United Nations Security Council

On “The situation in the Middle East: (Syria – Chemical)”

New York, 25 October 2022

In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful.

Mr. President,

The Islamic Republic of Iran once again condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances.

We reiterate our call that the Chemical Weapons Convention must be implemented fully, effectively, and without discrimination.

We believe that politicizing the Convention's application and using the OPCW for political purposes endanger both the legitimacy of the Organization and the Convention.

The OPCW must be able to carry out its responsibilities in an impartial, professional, and objective manner. Furthermore, in order to establish facts and reach evidence-based conclusions, any investigation into the use of chemical weapons must be impartial, professional, credible, and objective, and must strictly adhere to the provisions and procedures outlined in the Convention.

We acknowledge the critical importance of the efforts by the Syrian Arab Republic to uphold its Convention obligations.

We urge the OPCW and the Syrian Arab Republic to maintain their contact and interaction.

 The high-level meeting between Syria's Foreign Minister and the Director-General of the OPCW is currently being arranged.  This meeting which is expected to take place has the potential to pave the way for the parties to resolve outstanding issues.

In this regard, the Syrian National Authority proposed to the Technical Secretariat that the two parties hold a coordination meeting in Beirut to agree on the agenda for the high-level meeting, which has been responded to by the Technical Secretariat on 3 October.

We also commend the Syrian Arab Republic for submitting the 107th   monthly report to the Director-General of the OPCW on October 15, detailing activities on its territory related to the destruction of chemical weapons and their production facilities.

In line with its constructive cooperation, the Syrian Arab Republic has also facilitated a visit of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW to Syria to conduct the ninth inspection tour of the Center for Scientific Studies and Research.

Mr. President,

While the Syrian Arab Republic has met the requirements of the Convention and continues to cooperate constructively with the OPCW, handling this file in a political and double-standard manner will only divert discussions away from their technical nature.

 Therefore, we reiterate once again our call on the Security Council to utilize its meetings on Syria. Dedicating one monthly meeting of the Council to the repetition of positions and unfounded allegations against the Syrian government is not conducive to the Security Council's efficiency.

We support the discussion of this matter in its own technical track in the OPCW in order to foster positive dialogue between Syria and the OPCW and resolve the open issues.

I thank you