The Chairman of the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition has predicted a major step forward in the Middle East’s chemical weapons file if Syria regains full membership in the Chemical Weapons Convention, particularly following the fall of the previous Syrian regime on December 8, 2024.
In an interview on the Global Dispatches podcast, which focuses on international affairs, on January 6, 2025, Dr. Paul Walker, Chairman of the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition, stated that Syria’s return to full membership in the Chemical Weapons Convention would be a pivotal moment for the Middle East.
Walker, who also serves as Vice President of the Arms Control Association and is a former weapons inspector, expressed confidence that Syria could regain full membership and its lost privileges “if things proceed smoothly.” Syria had all its privileges under the Chemical Weapons Convention revoked three years ago, losing the right to vote, participate in committees, or hold any positions within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The coalition chairman emphasized that once Syria fully rejoins OPCW efforts and eliminates its chemical weapons and related programs, this would place significant pressure on both Israel and Egypt to join these efforts and initiate the full implementation of weapons of mass destruction disarmament in the Middle East.
Walker predicted that a team of OPCW inspectors would arrive in Syria within a month to investigate inconsistencies and gaps in Syria’s declarations regarding the destruction of its chemical stockpiles after joining the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013.
Regarding Syria’s chemical stockpiles, despite the former Syrian regime declaring the completion of their destruction by mid-2014, international inspectors later identified 26 unresolved issues, of which only seven have been addressed. Walker described Syria as a tangible example of a state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention that made a grave error and violated the agreement.
Walker criticized the lack of an enforcement mechanism under the OPCW’s oversight, pointing out that while the organization monitors inspections, verifies the use of chemical weapons, and identifies perpetrators, there is no enforcement authority in place to ensure compliance with the convention.
He called on both Syria and Russia to begin adhering to the agreement. He also suggested that state parties establish a national authority—a committee affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—to implement the convention as required, ensuring compliance with any developments within the country.
According to Walker, member states of the OPCW should legislate the Chemical Weapons Convention into their national legal frameworks to enable prosecution of individuals, non-state actors, or “terrorists,” as he phrased it.
