Chemical weapons watchdog calls for probe into Syria after al-Assad overthrown | News

The head of the international chemical weapons watchdog says he will ask Syria’s new leaders to allow investigators access to the country to work to identify the perpetrators of an attack that killed and injured thousands during the civil war.

Speaking at a special meeting of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Thursday, Fernando Arias said that his office has seen positive signs from Syria regarding the need to eliminate chemical weapons in the country but no official request has been received.

The 41-member OPCW Executive Council met in The Hague to discuss next steps after the sudden overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking before the meeting, the US ambassador to the OPCW, Nicole Shampaine, said that Washington sees the fall of al-Assad as a wonderful opportunity to rid Syria of chemical weapons.

“We want to finish the job, and it’s really an opportunity for the new Syrian leadership to work with the international community, to work with the OPCW to get the job done once and for all,” Champagne said.

Arias said the changing political situation in Syria presents an opportunity for the organization to finally get clarification on the scope and scope of Syria’s chemical weapons program after 11 years of testing.

Warning of increased risks, he said, “The victims deserve that the perpetrators we have identified face the law” after the repeated use of chemical weapons during Syria’s 13-year war.

Arias will seek access to the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team. That unit and the joint United Nations-OPCW mechanism have already identified Syrian forces as having used chemical weapons nine times from 2015 to 2017.

The victims of most of the attacks are still unknown.

‘Do carelessly’

Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 under the US-Russian agreement and 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and their precursors were destroyed by the international community. But after more than a decade of inspections, Syria is still in possession of banned weapons.

Al-Assad-ruled Syria and its military partner Russia have always denied using chemical weapons during the war.

As Syria remains troubled by a number of armed groups surrounding the fragmented country, the OPCW wants to take immediate action to prevent any chemical weapons from being used.

Echoing those concerns, Germany’s ambassador to the OPCW, Thomas Schieb, said: “Relevant archives and facilities need to be identified, protected and opened for inspection by the OPCW.”

“We will judge the new Syrian authorities by their actions. Now is the chance to finally destroy the remnants of al-Assad’s chemical weapons program.”

Israeli strikes

Meanwhile, Israel continued to attack Syria, hitting ports and missile depots in Latakia and Tartous as its ground forces moved deeper into the demilitarized zone in Syria’s Golan Heights, effectively expanding its operations in the area.

The Israeli military has launched more than 480 airstrikes on Syrian territory since the fall of al-Assad on Sunday, continuing a campaign it began under the ousted leader.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply concerned about “the latest violations and violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Israeli airstrikes in many places in Syria, emphasizing the need, the urgent need, to stop the violence on all sides throughout the country,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Defending Israel’s actions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the strikes were aimed at ensuring that Syrian army weapons did not fall into the “wrong hands”.

Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator and president of the US/Middle East Project, said Israel is using this time to “weaken” any future Syrian authority with its “defensive capability”.

“I think the signal Israel thinks it’s sending is: ‘We’re here.’ We are the county police. …We can act with impunity,’” Levy told Al Jazeera.

These strikes happened when hundreds of people attended the funeral of the slain Syrian activist Mazen al-Hamada, whose body was recently found in Sednaya prison, a facility outside Damascus that Amnesty International called a “killing ground”.

Although it is thought that all those arrested have been released, thousands remain unaccounted for.

Syria’s new government has urged citizens to apply to join the police, promising to establish “law” after years of abuse under al-Assad.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Vall, reporting from Damascus, said Syria’s new rulers have “major” tasks ahead.

Apart from political and security concerns, the country is facing “economic chaos”, he said.

“People can’t wait any longer. This country is sinking because of the things that are happening in the economy,” said Vall.