Syria must answer watchdog queries —UN

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Syria’s failure to answer questions from the international chemical weapons watchdog about its chemical weapons programme “remains a source of very deep concern.”

While the Syrian regime partially addressed some questions raised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the UN chief said “other questions regrettably remain unanswered.”

In a letter circulated on Friday transmitting the OPCW’s latest report to the Security Council, Guterres said he continues to urge Syria to resolve all outstanding issues.

Repeated requests

OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu said in the report that he has repeated his requests to Syrian authorities that unanswered questions about its declarations of chemical weapons “remain and require a response.” Guterres said “the profoundly alarming allegations” of chemical weapons use in the Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7 further underline the need for a new body to determine responsibility for chemical attacks.

The OPCW said on Friday that its fact-finding mission to Douma brought back samples for analysis at OPCW-designated laboratories — a process that could take at least three to four weeks. Russia vetoed a Westernbacked council resolution in November that would have extended the mandate of a joint UN-OPCW body charged with determining responsibility for chemical attacks, dooming its operation and making accountability exceedingly difficult.