A meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, the US. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) IzumiNakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for DisarmamentAffairs, briefed participants on the implementation of Resolution 2118, notingthat most of field activities by the Technical Secretariat of the Organisationfor the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have still been suspended due toimpacts of anti-COVID-19 measures.
Regardingthe settlement of outstanding issues related to the initial declaration bySyria to the OPCW under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the OPCWTechnical Secretariat and Syria are discussing to seek ways to accelerate thisprocess. The two sides are preparing for the 25th round ofconsultations in the latter half of October and also for a meeting between theOPCW Director-General and the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs andExpatriates, who is also head of the country’s national authority for the CWC.
Atthe session, UNSC members voiced concerns about the allegations of chemicalweapon use in Syria and appealed for cooperation to be enhanced to prevent thisaction.
Theyemphasised the importance of promoting technical cooperation between the OPCWTechnical Secretariat and Syria to deal with the outstanding issues towards thefull implementation of obligations under the CWC and UNSC Resolution 2118.
Inhis remarks, Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative ofVietnam to the UN, reiterated Vietnam’s stance on condemning the use ofchemical weapons, stressing the need for respecting and fully implementing theCWC.
Hehighlighted the role of technical consultations between Syria and the OPCWTechnical Secretariat to early resolve the outstanding issues related toSyria’s initial declaration, thus seeking a durable solution to the chemicalweapon issue in this country in line with Resolution 2118.
Thediplomat also underlined the importance of constructive cooperation and theinternational community’s unanimity so as to facilitate this process./.
VNA
