The last time this Council met to discuss chemical weapons in Syria, Bashar al-Assad was still in power.
Two days later, he fled and his brutal regime was overthrown.
The fall of Assad marks a new chapter for Syria and presents a golden opportunity to destroy his remaining chemical weapons programme, verified by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
However, the situation in Syria is fragile and we must make sure we seize this window of opportunity to remove the threat posed by these weapons once and for all.
The UK is concerned about recent clashes in Syria, which must not be allowed to escalate into wider violence. We urge all parties to refrain from further violence and exercise restraint at this critical time.
The OPCW Director-General’s visit to Damascus on 8 February was an important step forward.
And we are greatly encouraged by the commitments already made by the Syrian interim authorities to fully cooperate with the OPCW and to secure chemical weapons sites.
The attendance of Syria’s interim Foreign Minister, at the OPCW’s Executive Council this week was a very significant moment.
We welcome his renewed commitments on chemical weapons, including to “put an end to this painful legacy and ensure Syria becomes a nation aligned with international norms.”
The next step is to support Syria to meet its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, including to declare and destroy remaining chemical weapons stockpiles working with the OPCW.
The OPCW Director-General set out the scale of the challenge ahead to the OPCW’s Executive Council this week.
And this Council has an important role to play in supporting the OPCW’s work.
First, we underscore the importance of implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention alongside the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2118.
Second, the international community must provide the financial and technical assistance to the OPCW that it needs.
The UK has committed more than $1m to the OPCW Syria Missions since the fall of Assad to support their immediate work.
Finally, as Syria’s interim authorities seek to bring stability to the country and address security threats, it is vital that Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.
This is why we urge Israel to de-escalate their actions in Syria.
Such military action risks destabilising an already fragile security situation.
We call on all parties to provide the safe conditions for the OPCW to conduct its work.
Madam President, with political will from the new authorities in Syria and this Council, there is an opportunity to deal with this issue once and for all, and to finally achieve the total elimination of chemical weapons in Syria.
We must take that opportunity.
