OPCW convenes special session on Israeli attacks at Qatar's request
The Hague
The Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) convened a special session on Wednesday at the invitation of the Director-General, to consider a request submitted by the State of Qatar -- in its capacity as the representative of the interests of the Syrian Arab Republic before the OPCW -- regarding Israeli attacks on Syria and their obstruction of the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and efforts to dismantle the chemical weapons program of Syria's former regime.
The Qatari delegation to the session was led by HE Dr Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the OPCW.
In Qatar's statement delivered during the session, Al Qahtani strongly condemned Israel's grave policies and violations, including its repeated military attacks on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. He described these actions as a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, and a blatant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, particularly Article 2, which prohibits the use of force or the threat of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
He pointed out that while Israel has not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, it remains a signatory and is therefore obligated to refrain from any actions that would defeat the object and purpose of the Convention, in accordance with Article 18 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
He stressed that this principle represents a firmly established norm in international law, emphasizing that any infringement upon the Convention's core objectives constitutes a legal violation for which Israel bears full responsibility.
He further noted that Israeli attacks on potential chemical sites in Syria -- whether declared or undeclared -- undermine disarmament efforts, jeopardize the safety of OPCW missions, and damage the credibility of the international chemical weapons prohibition regime.
He called for a clear and unequivocal condemnation of such actions and urged the international community to take all necessary steps to end these violations, safeguard the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, and uphold the integrity of the ongoing verification and dismantlement processes under the Convention.
Additionally, he called on the Executive Council to explore the possibility of dispatching a technical field mission to assess the affected sites, document the damage, evaluate the impact on the Organisation's operations and the safety of its personnel, and provide a factual basis for accountability in line with international law.
In conclusion, Dr Al Qahtani reaffirmed that the international community must not tolerate any conduct that violates the Chemical Weapons Convention, compromises the neutrality and credibility of the OPCW, or undermines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its Member States.
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