New York, SANA – Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu stressed that the new political reality in Syria provides an important opportunity to resolve long-standing issues on Syria’s chemical weapons program.
Nakamitsu noted during her briefing to the UN Security Council on Thursday, according to the UN news website, that there is regular communication with the OPCW Secretariat, and the Syrian authorities have demonstrated an increasing commitment to full cooperation with the organization, stressing that this represents a rare opportunity to address 19 outstanding issues related to chemical materials and munitions that may not have been declared or verified.
She added that a team of technical experts from the organization’s technical department visited Damascus last March to begin work on establishing a permanent presence for the organization in Syria and to begin joint planning for dispatching teams to chemical weapons sites, and a similar mission was conducted last April.
Nakamitsu praised the Syrian authorities’ commitment to full and transparent cooperation with the organization and its technical secretariat, and added that the work ahead will not be easy and will require support from the international community.
The representative urged Security Council members to unite and provide the support needed for this unprecedented effort. She affirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention at all times and in all places.
Nisreen Othman / Fedaa
