Syria refuses access to OPCW
Reuters, Jun 12 2019
AMSTERDAM – Syrian officials have refused access to a newly-created CW investigation team formed to identify culprits behind attacks with banned munitions, the organisation’s top official said in remarks published on Wednesday. Member countries of the OPCW voted last year to create the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), a decision that was opposed by Damascus and Moscow. OPCW head Fernando Arias told member states:
Syria refuses to recognise the decision and to deal with any of its subsequent implications and effects. Deputy foreign minister Faysal Mekdad informed me in writing of the decision not to issue travel visas to members of the investigation team. Additionally, I received two letters dated May 9 and May 14 from him informing me of Syria’s objection to granting the newly-appointed members of the IIT access to any confidential information concerning the Syrian CW dossier.
With 193 member states, the OPCW, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, is the UN-supported global body established to rid the world of CW. Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 and agreed to grant access to weapons inspectors in a move that averted air strikes threatened by Obama 44. A joint UN-OPCW investigation team (JIM) concluded that Syria used sarin and chlorine bombs, while Daesh had used mustard gas. The new investigation team was formed after Russia vetoed a resolution to extend the mandate of the JIM in Nov 2017.
Syria Won’t Admit CW Investigators
Jason Ditz, Antiwar.com, Jun 12 2019
According to the OPCW, the Syrian government has refused to admit a team of investigators who were meant to identify specific culprits in past alleged CW attacks. There was a previous joint investigations team that already investigated those incidents and issued conclusions. That team’s mandate ended in Nov 2017, and over objections by Syria and Russia, this new team was formed to try to pin the attacks on somebody. The previous team concluded Syrian forces had used banned agents in some attacks, and blamed Daesh for a mustard gas attack. Syrian officials said they considered the matter done with that team, and didn’t want to give the new team access to all sorts of secret documents just to keep the investigation open. Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister has twice issued warnings about their opposition to the team in May, and made it clear once again this week that they don’t intend to issue any travel documents to the new team.
Niqnaq 