In unprecedented move, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons suspends Syria’s rights

Member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) voted Wednesday April 21 in favor of suspending Syria’s rights for its alleged use of chemical weapons, a decision unprecedented in the history of Syria. this instance.

Supported by Western countries like France, Britain and the United States, the motion to deprive Damascus of its “Rights and privileges” obtained the required two-thirds majority of the votes. “In the light of this result, the draft resolution is adopted”, announced Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia Trejo, who chaired the meeting of OPCW member countries based in The Hague.

A total of 87 countries voted in favor of the motion; 15, including Syria, Russia, China and Iran, voted against; and 34 abstained. Of the 193 member states, 136 countries took part in the vote.

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Several charges

The Syrian regime is accused of using sarin and chlorine in three attacks in March 2017 on the rebel-held village of Latamné in the north of the country. Damascus categorically denies and claims that these attacks were staged. Syria and its ally Russia have accused Western powers of leading a campaign through the OPCW “Politicized”.

The motion states that the OPCW “Decides, after careful consideration, and without prejudice to the obligations of the Syrian Arab Republic under the Convention [sur les armes chimiques] to suspend rights and privileges ” from Syria. The latter will henceforth be deprived of the right to vote at the annual conference of member countries, will no longer be eligible for the executive council and will no longer be able to occupy any position within the organization.

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Syria has been criticized for having left questions from the OPCW unanswered after the publication last year of an investigation by the body attesting that the Syrian regime had used sarin and chlorine in Latamne. Damascus then failed to meet the ninety-day deadline set by the OPCW to declare weapons used and reveal its remaining stocks.

The pressure increased last week after the publication of a second OPCW report incriminating Damascus, this time for a chlorine attack in the city of Saraqueb in 2018.

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