UN Security Council Briefing and Consulttions on the Syria Chemical weapons Program

Harold_Agyeman

Mr. President.
I have the honour to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the A3, comprising Gabon, Kenya and my own country Ghana. We thank High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi
Nakamitsu, for her briefing and welcome the participation in this meeting of the representatives of Syria, Iran and Turkey. We take note of the report of the OPCW, highlighting the unchanged
situation since the last briefing that has become characteristic of the Syrian chemical weapons file in recent times. As we also take note of the submission of the 108th monthly report by the Syrian National Authorities on the country’s chemical weapons programme, we remain concerned that there has not been any significant headway in the attempts to fully address the issue in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Mr. President,
The A3, collectively, reiterates its position 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 support all efforts to rid their production, storage or use. We reiterate our support for resolution 2118 (2013) of this Council which provides the framework for the expeditious and verifiable destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. For this reason, we regret the persistent divergence between the positions of the OPCW and the Syrian Authorities regarding the outstanding gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies.

Mr. President,
It seems the momentum that initially galvanised the international community, including this Council into action on the issue, is dissipating. But it is worth bearing in mind that without a definite
closure of the matter by the OPCW, the lingering danger of the production and possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, or elsewhere, cannot be completely ruled out. The expeditious resolution
of this investigation will also allow us the opportunity to focus our time and resources on the other existing challenges facing the Syrian people.

Mr. President, the A3 hopes that as part of the efforts to de-escalate the current rise in hostilities in Syria, the international community will act collectively to uphold the tenets of the Chemical Weapons Convention and ensure a world free of such deadly weapons. It is our considered view that constructive cooperation between the Syrian national authority and the Secretariat of the OPCW, will facilitate the conclusive resolution of all the outstanding issues, including, the organization of the 25th round of consultations with the
Declaration Assessment Team (DAT).

In this regard, we encourage the early convening of the high-level in-person meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Director-General of the OPCW, as it would help revive efforts towards the final resolution of the issues.

Mr. President,
In concluding, we wish to reiterate our call for enhanced engagement between the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the Syrian National Authority, to address all outstanding issues which constrain
meaningful progress in the full implementation of resolution 2118 (2013) satisfactorily.

I thank you for your attention.