Mikdad: Syria voluntarily decided to join chemical weapons’ convention

Syria affirmed that it, voluntarily and with full sovereignty, decided to join the Chemical Weapons convention in mid September as a proof to the whole world of its full commitment against any use of this kind of weapons, particularly after the use of them by the armed terrorist groups in several areas in Syria.
“It is the first time Syria talks in front of this conference after it had decided voluntarily and with sovereignty to access to the Chemical Weapons Convention,” Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad said at the 18th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention in the Hague.
He added that it became crystal clear for all that Syria has been encountering, since nearly three years, a systemized terrorist war by takfiri terrorist organizations, supported by regional, international sides.
“Those takfiri terrorists have perpetrated terrorist crimes of killing, slaughtering, destroying and using poisonous gases against the Syrian people in a number of places, including the terrorist attack against the people in Khan al-Assal on March 19th, 2013,” Mikdad said.
He added that the terrorist attack pushed the Syrian government to ask the Security Council and Secretary General of the UN to form an international inquiry committee as soon as possible to investigate into this terrorist crime, but the arrival of the committee was delayed for 5 months because of the hindering practiced by known countries,” Mikdad said.
Mikdad stressed that Syria’s response to the initiative launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin reflects its commitment to getting rid of all weapons of mass destruction and preventing the armed terrorist groups from using such weapons, adding that Syria ‘s response entails that the international community shoulders its responsibilities in terms of making the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.
Syria proposed during its membership at the UN Security Council in 2003 a draft resolution to make the region free of weapons of mass destruction. It is known very well who hampered this initiative in a move of sheer double-standard policy with the aim of preventing Israel from being embarrassed which should be included in such measures, Mikdad added.
In this regard, Mikdad pointed out that what has been achieved so far can only be described as ‘exemplary because through cooperation and coordination between the Syrian national side and the organization enormous work has been made during the past month that took other counties several years to accomplish it.’
He hailed the sincere efforts exerted by the OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu and head of the UN-OPCW joint mission, Sigrid Kaag, and the support offered by other countries to these efforts.
Mikdad noted that cooperation will continue until all commitments are met within the deadlines specified by the resolutions of the executive council, particularly that Syria offered an integrated plan for implementation.
He condemned the attempts of some countries to politicize the Syrian chemical issue to carry out their agendas far from the technical side.
Earlier, the 18th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention in the Hague and elected Iraq as Chair of the upcoming conference.
Addressing the conference, OPCW Director–General pointed out to the positive cooperation between the Syrian government and the organization to implement commitments of the agreement and the executive council resolutions.
For her part, Kaag stressed that what has been achieved within the time framework would not have been made without the efforts and cooperation of the Syrian government with the joint mission, adding that Syria did what it was required to do even before the deadline.

Source:Breaking News Network – SANA