The Hague, SANA-The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) described the meetings held Saturday by the organization’s delegation, headed by its Director-General Fernando A. González, with the President of the Republic, Mr. Ahmad al-Sharaa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Asaad al-Shaibani, as fruitful and open.
The organization stated in a statement reported by the UN News Center that the visit “included lengthy, fruitful and very open meetings during which an in-depth exchange of information took place, which will constitute a basis upon which to reach tangible results and break the deadlock that has lasted for more than 11 years.”
The organization added that the two sides discussed in their meeting Syria’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the organization’s role and mandate, and the type of support that the Technical Secretariat can provide to Syria to eliminate the remnants of the chemical weapons program.
For his part, the Director-General of the Organization said “My presence in Damascus embodies the organization’s commitment to rebuilding a relationship based on mutual trust and transparency,” noting that “the Syrian chemical weapons file has been at a dead end for more than a decade, and today we must seize this opportunity together to get out of this dead end for the good of the Syrian people and the international community.”
The Director said the organization’s readiness to support Syria in fulfilling its obligations under the Convention, indicating that the caretaker government will work to protect the Syrian people, help hold accountable all those proven to have used chemical weapons, and enhance the country’s reputation as a reliable and trustworthy member of the international community.
González concluded by saying: “This visit paves the way for working together to close the Syrian chemical weapons file once and for all, enhance long-term compliance, regional stability, and contribute to international peace and security”.
Reem/MHD Ibrahim
