Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
The Hague, SANA – The Chinese mission at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) affirmed on Friday that the voting of the OPCW executive council on a resolution about the alleged use of chemical weapons in al-Latamenah area in Hama in March 2017 will create more divisions and confrontations among the member states and will lead to perpetuating the politicization of the organization’s work.
Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted the Chinese mission as saying at the executive council’s 94th session on Thursday that any investigation into the possibility of using chemical weapons in Syria should be objective, comprehensive, and impartial.
The mission pointed out that since the establishment of so-called “investigation and identification team,” China affirmed that its establishment has overstepped the mandate of the chemical weapons convention, and that this team’s methodology and procedures do not comply with the convention’s provisions as its composition did not reflect a just geographical distribution.
The mission went on to say that the technical secretariat of the OPCW must adhere strictly to the convention and to the spirit of objectivity, neutrality, and independence in order to continue its work, and the member states should resolve the disputes via dialogue and preserve the authority and seriousness of the convention collectively.
On Thursday, the executive council voted on a West-penned draft resolution which endorsed the conclusions of so called “investigation and identification team” regarding three alleged incidents about using chemical weapons in al-Latamenah area in Hama province in March 2017.
China, Russia, and Iran had voted against resolution, while 29 states voted for it and 9 others abstained.
Hybah Sleman /Hazem Sabbagh
