76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
UN Security Council briefing on Syria Chemical Weapons
Statement by DPR Andre Lipand
December 8, New York
Thank you, Mister President.
Thank you, High Representative Izumi Nakamitsu for your briefing today. During our two years of our membership in the Council, we have very much appreciated your commitment and your persistent calls for the Security Council unity to uphold the norm against chemical weapons.
It has been eight years and ninety-eight reports on the progress of the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program. Progress in this file has been hard to achieve and only few advances have been made over the years. As we heard today, out of the 24 outstanding issues opened by the Declaration Assessment Team , 20 remain unresolved. These 20 do not represent minor issues or pure technicalities, but involve retention and production of unknown quantities of chemical weapons, chemical warfare agents and chemical munitions. As long as these weapons are not fully declared and destroyed, the possibility remains that they will be used again.
The 20 unresolved issues represent also the Syrian regime’s persistent attempts to obstruct and stall the work of the OPCW and its investigative mechanisms. Failing to issue visas, ignoring the OPCW’s requests for information and offers of assistance are clearly demonstrate Syria’s lack of cooperation, lack of seriousness and good will to comply with its international norms and obligations.
This lack of compliance unfortunately has sponsors. Over the past two years in the Council, we have witnessed a systematic disinformation campaign to discredit and sow distrust against the most competent organization to deal with chemical weapons, because the OPCW has come to conclusions, which are inconvenient for Syria and its protectors.
Enabling Syria to retain and use chemical weapons and undermining the authority of the OPCW has serious consequences. We are allowing the norm against the use of chemical weapons to erode. We are allowing for the setting in a new normality where chemical weapons are used to eliminate political rivals and punish the opposition. An alarming increase in their use have already taken place over the past years – in Malaysia, in the United Kingdom and most recently in Russia with the assassination attempt of Aleksandr Navalnyi.
Mr President, the 30th of November was a day to remember all victims of chemical warfare. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, over 1500 Syrians have been killed by chemical weapons and over 12 000 have been injured. A great majority of the victims have been civilians, including women and children. Syrian regime has repeatedly used chemical weapons against its people to spread terror, suppress opposition, force them to leave their homes and surrender. This has happened in Ghouta, Douma, Sarmin, Khanh Shaykhun and elsewhere.
The OPCW Investigation and identification team released two well-researched, evidence-based and impartial reports in 2020 and 2021 that attributed responsibility to Syrian regime forces for the use of chemical weapons. The great majority of the OPCW State Parties reacted to condemn these acts and suspended Syria’s rights and privileges under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Apart from a very few allies of Syria, support to the OPCW is strong and the message is clear – the use of chemical weapons has consequences.
Next steps should be accountability. Resolution 2118 clearly states that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons must be held accountable. The facts are there, the evidence is there. What we need is political will, sense of responsibility and unity of this Council. Impunity, tolerance and inaction cannot be an option when chemical weapons are used against civilian populations.
To conclude Mr President, the use of chemical weapons presents a serious security threat to all states. Estonia condemns the use of chemical weapons in the strongest terms. We call on members of the Security Council and those who start their term next month to stand up for international law. We find it important that the Council continues discussing this important issue on a monthly basis until Syria’s chemical weapons are declared and destroyed and accountability is ensured. Estonia will continue supporting the OPCW and fight against the use of chemical weapons also outside the Council.
I thank you.
