Syria Detains 18 Suspects Over Assad-Era Chemical Attacks
(MENAFN) Eighteen suspects, among them senior officers, are in detention and being tried before a specialized court for chemical attacks carried out under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, Syria announced Tuesday, a state-run news agency reported.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani disclosed the arrests at a joint news conference in Damascus with Sabrina Dallafior, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). He said the prosecutions are the first step toward closing the file, which begins with justice for victims and safeguards against any repeat of the attacks.
Unprecedented cooperation with the OPCW
Al-Shaibani said Damascus has handed the OPCW more than 100,000 official documents and opened its records and witnesses to the body’s inspectors.
In June, he said, Syria amended the chemical weapons declaration it inherited from the former regime, adding one production facility, two storage facilities and munitions he said had been hidden. By August, the effort had led to the destruction of 42 declared chemical aerial bombs under OPCW supervision. Al-Shaibani described it as the first verified destruction on Syrian soil since 2014.
Syria regained its full rights and privileges within the OPCW on July 9, he said. Tuesday’s talks centered on a roadmap toward final closure of the file.
Obstacles remain
Al-Shaibani warned that mines, damaged sites and records the former regime concealed or destroyed continue to hamper efforts to establish the full scope of its chemical weapons program.
OPCW chief: a priority from day one
Dallafior said visiting Syria, meeting victims and touring sites had been a priority since she took office two months ago. She called securing any remnants of the Assad-era program a non-proliferation priority that would protect both Syrians and the wider region.
She said the OPCW and the Syrian government destroyed a number of chemical weapons in July, calling it a milestone and proof of successful multilateral cooperation. The organization, she added, is still investigating earlier attacks and identifying those responsible to deter future use of chemical weapons.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani disclosed the arrests at a joint news conference in Damascus with Sabrina Dallafior, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). He said the prosecutions are the first step toward closing the file, which begins with justice for victims and safeguards against any repeat of the attacks.
Unprecedented cooperation with the OPCW
Al-Shaibani said Damascus has handed the OPCW more than 100,000 official documents and opened its records and witnesses to the body’s inspectors.
In June, he said, Syria amended the chemical weapons declaration it inherited from the former regime, adding one production facility, two storage facilities and munitions he said had been hidden. By August, the effort had led to the destruction of 42 declared chemical aerial bombs under OPCW supervision. Al-Shaibani described it as the first verified destruction on Syrian soil since 2014.
Syria regained its full rights and privileges within the OPCW on July 9, he said. Tuesday’s talks centered on a roadmap toward final closure of the file.
Obstacles remain
Al-Shaibani warned that mines, damaged sites and records the former regime concealed or destroyed continue to hamper efforts to establish the full scope of its chemical weapons program.
OPCW chief: a priority from day one
Dallafior said visiting Syria, meeting victims and touring sites had been a priority since she took office two months ago. She called securing any remnants of the Assad-era program a non-proliferation priority that would protect both Syrians and the wider region.
She said the OPCW and the Syrian government destroyed a number of chemical weapons in July, calling it a milestone and proof of successful multilateral cooperation. The organization, she added, is still investigating earlier attacks and identifying those responsible to deter future use of chemical weapons.
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