UNSC briefing and consultations on Syria (Chemical Weapons)

[Wednesday, 20 July; 1000 hrs EDT/1930 IST]

India Statement

Madam President, I would like to thank OPCW Director General Mr. Fernando Arias for his detailed briefing. 

2.    We have taken note of the contents of the latest monthly report by DG-OPCW. We also note the recent monthly submission made by Syria to the OPCW.

3.    We encourage continued engagement between Syria and the OPCW Technical Secretariat to resolve the outstanding issues. We hope that the twenty fifth round of consultations between the Declaration Assessment Team and Syrian National Authority, which is pending since April 2021, will be organized at the earliest. We hope that OPCW and the Syrian Arab Republic will continue to work together to overcome the impediments. 

4.    We attach high importance to the Chemical Weapons Convention and stand for its full, effective, and non-discriminatory implementation. We support the collective efforts by all the parties to ensure that the credibility and integrity of this Convention is maintained to the fullest.

5.    India is against the use of chemical weapons by anybody, anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances. India has consistently maintained that any investigation into the use of chemical weapons must be impartial, credible and objective. Such an investigation should follow scrupulously the provisions and procedures embedded in the Convention, and in conformity with the delicate balance of power and responsibility enshrined under it, to establish facts and reach evidence-based conclusions.

6.    India has also been repeatedly cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons, including in the region. The reports of UNITAD have also referred to the repeated deployments of chemical weapons by UN proscribed terrorist groups and those affiliated to ISIL against civilian populations between 2014 and 2016. The international community’s collective fight against terrorism will be strengthened by ensuring accountability for the grave and inhuman acts of terror committed by these terrorists and its affiliated groups. Towards this end, India has made a contribution of USD 200,000 to support UNITAD’s investigations.

7.    India continues to believe that progress on other tracks would also help in facilitating overall political peace process in Syria. To realize this, all parties, particularly the external players need to display their commitment, in tangible terms, to a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned UN-facilitated political process in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

I thank you.

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