UN Security Council Briefing and Consultations on the Middle East

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UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING AND CONSULTATIONS ON THE MIDDLE EAST (SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAMME) JOINT A3 STATEMENT (GABON, GHANA AND MOZAMBIQUE

Madame la Présidente,
J’ai l’honneur de faire cette déclaration au nom des trois pays africains membres du Conseil de sécurité, les A3, à savoir le Gabon, le Mozambique et mon propre pays le Ghana. Nous remercions Mme Izumi NAKAMITSU, Haute-Représentante pour les affaires de désarmement, et M. Fernado Arias, Directeur Général de l’OIAC, ainsi que M. Santiago Onate- Laborde, Coordinateur, Equipe d’enquete et d’identification de l’OIAC pour leurs exposés édifiants sur l’état de la mise en œuvre de l’élimination du programme syrien d’armes chimiques. Nous nous félicitons de la participation à cette réunion des distingués représentants de la République arabe syrienne, de la République Islamique d’Iran et de la République de Türkiye.

Madam President,
Please permit me to reiterate on behalf of the A3, our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Governments and peoples of the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkiye for the tragic deaths and extensive infrastructural damage resulting from the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tremor, respectively, that struck parts of the two countries. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Governments and peoples of the two countries at this difficult time. As we call for increased international support for the emergency response in the two countries, and we are confident that the fortitude and resilience of the peoples of the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkiye, will see them through this disaster.

Madam President,
We thank the OPCW for its 112th report covering the period of 24th December 2022 to 23 January, 2023, and express our support for its work as the foremost body responsible for ensuring the full elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme. In that regard, we welcome the conduct of limited in-country activities (LICAs) by a small group of the Declaration Assessment Team members as part of the continued efforts of the OPCW Secretariat to carry out its mandate in line with resolution 2118, and look forward to the outcome of that mission. We also take note of the contents of the Third Report by the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team on the use of Chemical Weapons in Douma in the Syrian Arab Republic in April 2018. We take cognizance of the Syrian National Authority’s submission to the Executive Council of its 110th monthly report regarding activities on its territory related to the destruction of its chemical weapons as well as its chemical weapons production facilities (CWPFs) as required of it by the Executive Council.

Madam President,
The international Community and this Council, in particular, must continue to be concerned about the potential re-emergence and increasing threats of chemical warfare and take urgent steps to accelerate action towards a world free of chemical weapons. The A3, collectively stands against the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances. We remain committed to the established norms against the use of Chemical weapons and all efforts to rid their production, storage or use, and reiterate our support for resolution 2118 (2013) of this Council.

Madam President,
We believe that enhanced cooperation between the OPCW Secretariat and the Syrian Authority would be useful to make progress in this regard. As expressed in our previous statements, direct high-level exchanges between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Republic and the OPCW Director-General would be helpful in building confidence and providing the needed impetus to advance the various aspects of the programme and encourage greater commitment to strengthen cooperation. We hope the two sides would expedite actions to prepare an early meeting.

Madam President,
Finally, we urge the support of the Council in addressing, more constructively, those issues which constrain meaningful progress in the full implementation of resolution 2118 (2013). The early closure of the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme forms an important part of our common goal for international peace and security.

I thank you for your attention.