The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) executive council on Friday voted to adopt a decision that condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.
OPCW called on all parties identified in OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) reports as responsible for the use of chemical weapons to desist immediately and to authorize a series of inspections at selected sites throughout Syria.
In a sequence of investigations, OPCW’s JIM found that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, along with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), have been involved in the use of chemical weapons and toxic chemicals as weapons.
The council will also be investigating the development, acquisition and use of chemical weapons by non-state perpetrators.
The organization said the next steps include the OPCW Technical Secretariat undertaking further verification activities such as conducting inspections at specific sites in Syria identified by OPCW’s JIM. Additionally, the secretariat will be analyzing any information or materials relevant to existing or future allegations of chemical weapons possession or use.
OPCW’s executive council, comprised of 41 members from five regional groups, promotes the effective implementation of and compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.