Assad's Chemical Weapons Program Top Priority for OPCW

During her visit to Damascus on Tuesday, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Sabrina Dallafiora, confirmed that the organization's urgent mission at this time is to identify the locations of what remains of the chemical weapons program from the era of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and to work on securing them.

Dallafiora also expressed her welcome of the cooperation of the new Syrian authorities with the organization on this file, which has been the subject of repeated accusations against the former president for using chemical weapons against civilians during the years of conflict.

The new authorities, who pledged cooperation with the organization immediately upon taking power in late 2024, informed the UN Security Council in early September last year that they had begun destroying chemical materials dating back to the ousted president's era, a step considered the first of its kind since the beginning of the conflict.

Sabrina Dallafiora, who recently assumed her post, stated during a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani: "The pressing priority now is to assess the most dangerous sites," considering that this requires "disclosing the remnants of the Assad-era chemical weapons program and taking the necessary measures to secure them."

For his part, Al-Shibani stressed that "eliminating chemical weapons among Syrians is a responsibility towards the victims and a commitment that future generations will not experience these atrocities again." He revealed, alongside the destruction of chemical materials, that the authorities have arrested 18 suspects in the chemical attacks file, including senior officers, in preparation for their trial. He added that Syria has provided more than 100,000 official documents to the organization and facilitated access to records and witnesses in this file.

While Dallafiora welcomed Syria's "commitment," Al-Shibani clarified that he discussed with her a "roadmap to help us move from this progress made towards the final closure of the file."

Last month, Izumi Nakamitsu, head of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, reported that an OPCW team verified in August the destruction of forty-two aerial bombs carried out by Syrian authorities.

The organization had agreed in July last year to restore Syria's full membership rights after stripping it of voting rights in 2021, following its conclusion that the Syrian Air Force used sarin and chlorine gases against civilians.

In 2013, Syria accepted joining the OPCW, disclosing its stockpile of toxic materials and handing it over, under Russian and American pressure, to avoid threats from Washington and its allies to launch airstrikes.

This came after accusations against the Syrian army of using chemical weapons in areas controlled by opposition factions, resulting in the death of more than 1,400 people, according to US intelligence agencies and human rights organizations, while a UN report indicated conclusive evidence of sarin gas use.

The Syrian government then denied any involvement in similar attacks, agreed to hand over its arsenal, but did not fully disclose its program and sought to mislead inspectors.