UNITED NATIONS
Two cylinders of sarin poison were reportedly seized by Syrian government forces in an area controlled by armed opposition groups, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reported to the Security Council Monday.
In Monday's official publication, Ban informed the council that the UN OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) Joint Mission had analyzed the contents of cylinders on June 14 and confirmed the cylinders contained sarin.
UN’s chief said the content was "reportedly seized by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic in August 2013” in an area reportedly controlled by armed opposition groups.
Farhan Haq, Deputy UN Spokesperson told Anadolu Agency (AA) in May that the OPCW dispatched a fact finding mission to Syria to establish the facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals “for hostile purposes in Syria.”
He explained that on May 27, 2014, as the team was travelling for a site visit, its convoy came under attack, resulting in a denial of access to the site.
Haq told AA that the summary report, issued on June 16 this year, “lends credence to the view that toxic chemicals, most likely pulmonary irritating agents such as chlorine, have been used in a systematic manner in a number of attacks.”
Also in a report by the OPCW Director accompanying Ban's letter to the Security Council, it said the Syrian government has reported the sarin case.
Ahmet Uzumcu, director of OPCW, described the cylinders "as abandoned chemical weapons" and said that the joint mission was discussing the eradication of the cylinders and their contents with the government in Damascus.
According to western media reports, neither Uzumcu nor the UN Secretary General stated whether the cylinders were handed over to the joint mission.
In his June 26 letter, UN Secretary General said there is still work to be done for the elimination of the arsenal of Syrian chemical weapons through a consultative process to determine if there are any discrepancies with the Syrian government's original declaration of its chemical stockpile.
Haq told AA the joint mission was focusing specifically on the Syrian Government’s declaration on the chemical weapons program.
“As part of efforts to finalize its activities and after careful preparations, the joint mission personnel analyzed the material recently to draw its conclusions on the substance. They have now informed the government accordingly,” Haq said and added that the fact finding mission will share its recommendations in due course.
The head of the UN-OPCW joint mission Sigrid Kaag briefed the Security Council in New York on Monday and said that Syria handed over its declared 1,300 tons of chemicals on June 23.
According to the report, the Danish cargo ship Ark Futura took on board the remaining 8 percent of chemicals on June 22 and 23, 2014 for transportation to Gioia Tauro port in Italy to offload certain “Priority 1 chemicals” to the United States vessel MV Cape Ray for ”neutralization at sea.”
www.aa.com.tr/en
