Syria begins destroying al-Assad-era chemical weapons materials

Syrian authorities undertake ⁠first such destruction in over a decade as former government officials face trial.

A drawing exhibition by a group of young people depicts scenes related to a 2013 chemical attack under Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad [File: Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images]

Syria has begun ‌destroying the remnants of a clandestine chemical weapons programme created under former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian and United Nations officials have said.

This includes raw materials and munitions similar to those used in deadly gas attacks during the country’s civil war, diplomats said at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.

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UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi ⁠Nakamitsu told a UN Security Council briefing that for the first time since 2014, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had verified the destruction of chemical munitions in Syria.

Syria’s new leadership had located ⁠remnants of al-Assad’s chemical weapons programme in May. Following the finding, Syria had ‌found “one additional chemical weapons production facility, a newly discovered chemical used in the production of nerve agents, and empty chemical munitions”, Nakamitsu said.

“It also declared two chemical weapons storage facilities where the newly discovered facilities were being stored,” she added.

Last month, the OPCW deployed a team to Syria to verify the destruction of “category-three” chemical weapons, defined as unfilled munitions and other equipment used to release chemical weapons. Nakamitsu ⁠said the team verified “the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs” ⁠as part of that mission.

“This is the very first destruction process since we have been liberated from the previous regime,” Syria’s UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi also told the briefing. “It’s also the first of its kind to destroy chemical materials on Syrian territory for over a decade.”

Olabi told the council that Syria was “protecting the world and the region through such work”. However, he added that repeated Israeli attacks had ⁠impeded some search-and-destruction operations and exposed the Syrian teams at work to risk.

“We cannot safeguard the security of ⁠the region if our security is exposed to attacks ⁠at the hands of Israel, and they are flouting the security of the region at large and they are breaching the conventions and treaties we have talked about,” he added.

Syrian authorities earlier this year took 18 suspects into custody for alleged involvement in al-Assad’s chemical weapons programme, including high-level military, political and technical officials.

Olabi said Syria was preparing to hold the first court hearing of people suspected of involvement ‌in ‌the chemical weapons programme.

叙利亚当局十多年来首次进行此类破坏行动，此前一些前政府官员面临审判。

一群年轻人举办的绘画展描绘了与叙利亚被罢黜总统巴沙尔·阿萨德执政期间2013年发生的化学武器袭击相关的场景。[图片：Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images]

叙利亚和联合国官员表示，叙利亚已经开始销毁前叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德时期建立的秘密化学武器计划的残余部分。

外交官们周四在联合国安理会表示，这其中包括与该国内战期间致命毒气袭击中使用的原材料和弹药类似的物资。

卡塔尔表示，正在努力结束伊朗-美国战争并重新开放霍尔木兹海峡（共3份清单，第1份）。

以色列多场战争导致财政部和国防部在支出问题上发生冲突（列表 2/3）

国际原子能机构称，叙利亚在阿萨德统治时期于代尔祖尔建造了一座核反应堆（清单共3份，此为第3份）。

联合国裁军事务高级代表中满泉在联合国安理会简报会上表示，自 2014 年以来，禁止化学武器组织（OPCW）首次核实了叙利亚境内化学弹药的销毁情况。

叙利亚新领导层在五月份发现了阿萨德时期化学武器计划的遗迹。中光表示，在此之后，叙利亚又发现了“一处新的化学武器生产设施、一种新发现的用于生产神经毒剂的化学物质以及空的化学弹药”。

她补充说：“当局还公布了两个化学武器储存设施，新发现的设施就存放在那里。”

上个月，禁止化学武器组织向叙利亚派遣了一个小组，核实“三类”化学武器的销毁情况。“三类”化学武器指的是未装填的弹药和其他用于释放化学武器的设备。中光表示，作为该任务的一部分，该小组核实了“42枚航空炸弹的不可逆转销毁”。

“这是我们摆脱前政权统治以来首次进行的销毁行动，”叙利亚常驻联合国代表易卜拉欣·奥拉比在简报会上表示，“这也是十多年来首次在叙利亚境内销毁化学材料。”

奥拉比告诉安理会，叙利亚“通过此类工作保护着世界和地区”。但他补充说，以色列的反复袭击阻碍了一些搜寻和摧毁行动，并使叙利亚行动小组面临风险。

“如果我们的安全受到以色列的攻击，我们就无法保障该地区的安全。他们公然藐视整个地区的安全，违反我们讨论过的公约和条约。”他补充道。

今年早些时候，叙利亚当局拘留了 18 名涉嫌参与阿萨德化学武器计划的嫌疑人，其中包括高级军事、政治和技术官员。

奥拉比表示，叙利亚正准备对涉嫌参与化学武器计划的人员进行首次法庭听证。