Chemical weapons company chief says Damascus conferences first step in direction of improved ties

“This go to lays the bottom for working collectively in direction of closing the Syrian chemical weapons file for good and fostering long-term compliance, regional stability, and contributing to peace and worldwide safety,” Director Common Fernando Arias stated in a written assertion.

He met Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Overseas Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani throughout his go to to Damascus.

The sudden fall of the Assad authorities in December introduced hope that Syria might be rid of chemical weapons.

Following a sarin gasoline assault that killed a whole lot of individuals in 2013, Syria joined the OPCW underneath a U.S.-Russian deal and 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors had been destroyed by the worldwide group.

As a part of membership, Damascus was alleged to bear inspections however for greater than a decade the OPCW was prevented from uncovering the true scale of the chemical weapons program. Syria’s declared stockpile has by no means precisely mirrored the state of affairs on the bottom, inspectors concluded.

“This go to marks a reset. After eleven years of obstruction by the earlier authorities, the Syrian caretaker authorities have an opportunity to show the web page and meet Syria’s obligations underneath the Conference,” stated Arias.

Syria’s new protection minister Murhaf Abu Qasra had instructed Reuters in January that he didn’t imagine any remnants of Syria’s chemical weapons programme remained intact.

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