Syria informed the UN Security Council on Thursday that it had begun the process of destroying chemical materials dating back to the era of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in a step Damascus described as the first of its kind since the fall of the previous regime.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, said: “This is the first destruction operation since our liberation from the previous regime,” adding that it is “the first of its kind to destroy chemical materials on Syrian territory in more than a decade.”
The step comes within the framework of Syrian cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to uncover all components of the chemical program that was run by the deposed regime, and to secure the materials and munitions that are being found, leading to their destruction in accordance with the approved technical procedures and under the supervision of the organization.
Olabi stressed that this step represents a moment that proves that the file, which for years has been a source of danger to Syrians and the world, can be transformed into a model of what diplomacy, combined with determination, sincere will, and the spirit of international cooperation, can achieve on the ground.
During the recent period, the Syrian government, in cooperation with international partners, launched efforts to liquidate the remains of the chemical weapons stockpile and uncover sites and materials that were not declared by the ousted regime.
For her part, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, said during the session that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the new Syrian government have accomplished significant work to eliminate any remnants of the chemical weapons program developed by the previous government.
She stressed that the Syrian government is fully cooperating with the organization to address the remaining issues in the file, noting that collective efforts have begun to achieve tangible results in dealing with the remaining chemical weapons, demonstrating the importance of constructive and continuous engagement between the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Syrian government.
