Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani pledged to destroy the chemical weapons stockpiles accumulated during the era of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in a historic speech before the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.
Al-Shaibani stated that Israeli strikes pose logistical, technical, and operational challenges, considering that these strikes increase uncertainty regarding chemical weapons. Al-Shaibani is the first Syrian representative to address the OPCW’s Executive Council.
Under Russian and American pressure in 2013, Syria agreed to join the OPCW, disclose its stockpiles, and surrender them to avoid airstrikes by the United States and its allies, following accusations that government forces had launched a chemical weapons attack in the Damascus countryside, resulting in over 1,000 deaths. The Syrian authorities at the time denied using such weapons.
While the Syrian government under Assad claimed it had surrendered its declared chemical weapons stockpile for destruction, the OPCW expressed concerns that what Damascus declared was not the full stockpile and that it had concealed other weapons.
During the years of conflict that erupted in 2011, the OPCW confirmed that chemical weapons were used or likely used in 20 cases in Syria. Following the ousting of Assad by opposition factions led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on December 8, the OPCW stated that it had requested the new authorities to secure their chemical weapons stockpiles, confirming that it had communicated with Damascus “to emphasize the importance of ensuring the security of materials and facilities related to chemical weapons” in the country.
Israel, which launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites and facilities following Assad’s ousting, confirmed that its strikes targeted “remaining chemical weapons” to prevent them from falling into the hands of “extremists.”
Al-Shaibani stated that these strikes “pose additional challenges alongside logistical, technical, and operational difficulties.” He added, “As a result, there remains uncertainty regarding chemical weapons that may still exist in Syria.” Addressing the delegates, Al-Shaibani said, “The chemical weapons program of the Assad regime represents one of the darkest chapters in the history of Syria and the world,” pledging to “rebuild Syria’s future on the foundations of transparency, justice, and cooperation with the international community.”
He added, “This chemical weapons program, established under Assad, is not our program… Nevertheless, our commitment is to dismantle what remains of it and put an end to this painful legacy.”
For his part, OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias, in an opening speech to the delegations on Tuesday, stated that Assad’s ousting presented “a new and historic opportunity” to document and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Arias had met with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in his first visit to Damascus since opposition factions led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham ousted Assad. Arias said, “With this visit, we have begun laying the foundations for cooperation with the new Syrian authorities based on trust and transparency,” adding, “All of this represents a significant break with the past.”
