On August 21, 2024, the German Special Envoy for Syria called on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to hold the Syrian regime accountable for its use of chemical weapons and its failure to eliminate its entire stockpile.
Coinciding with the 11th anniversary of the regime’s sarin gas attack on Ghouta in the Damascus countryside, Stephan Schneck, the German Special Envoy for Syria, wrote on his page on X that the Syrian regime is not cooperating with the OPCW. He stated that the regime has not yet disclosed its entire chemical stockpile and facilities, nor has it destroyed them all, despite being “forced” to join the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013.
Schneck called on the OPCW to fully cooperate in holding the Syrian regime accountable for its use of internationally banned chemical weapons and its failure to eliminate its stockpile.
On August 21, Syrians annually commemorate the first chemical attack that occurred in Syria in 2013, carried out by regime aircraft loaded with sarin gas on Ghouta in the Damascus countryside, resulting in the death of approximately 1,400 people and injuring thousands.
After the chemical attack on the Damascus countryside in 2013 and the confirmation of sarin gas as a weapon, both the United Kingdom and the United States called for verification of the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons. This led the United Nations to threaten the regime and place its chemical arsenal under the control of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) through Resolution 2118, resulting in the destruction of the arsenal in October 2013, following Syria’s accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention in September of the same year.
Eleven years after the chemical attack on Ghouta, several Security Council countries assessed the Syrian regime’s cooperation with the OPCW regarding the chemical weapons file, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2118 of 2013.
The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, considered that the Syrian regime is not cooperating with the OPCW.
Many Security Council members expressed concern that Syria’s declaration under the Chemical Weapons Convention remains incomplete. They highlighted the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2118 in 2013 and emphasized the need to hold those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria accountable to prevent their future use.
The Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria (CVDCS) reminds that the chemical attacks in Syria constitute a severe violation of UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2118. This resolution is related to the Geneva Protocol signed on June 17, 1925, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and considers them a serious threat to international peace and security.
assad_regime chemical_weapons opcw sarin syria
