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DISINFO: OPCW confirms that Syria is free of chemical weapons

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

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United Nations OPCW Chemical weapons/attack Syrian War

DISINFO: OPCW confirms that Syria is free of chemical weapons

SUMMARY

[Syria] has not used chemical weapons and no longer even possesses them, and is committed to cooperating with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to settle the outstanding issues in order to allow the file to be closed.

.. This cooperation resulted in the disposal of all of Syria’s stockpile and the destruction of related production facilities. This matter was confirmed by the Head of the OPCW, Sigrid Kaag, in June 2014, as confirmed by the latest 85th monthly report by the Director-General published on 10/26/2020.

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative regarding chemical weapons that Syria possess.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) weapons inspectors could only authenticate thatthe declared chemical weapons had been destroyed in 2014, even though there were suspicions in the West that Syria had hidden as much as 10% of its stockpile.

In the OPCW 85th report mentioned in the claim, it clearly points out that Damascus “has yet to provide sufficient technical information or explanations [with regard to the finding of a Schedule 2.B.04 chemical] that would enable the Secretariat to close this issue”.

Furthermore, the OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that people in Khan Shaykhun were exposed to sarin, a chemical weapon, on 4 April 2017. The JIM found Syria’s Government responsible for the attack.

And in September 2017, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria summarised 33 separate incidents where it had found the use of chemical weapons.

On April 10 2018, Russia vetoed a US-drafted UN Security Council resolution that would have created a new inquiry to ascertain responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria. In June, the OPCW members granted it the power to assign blame for chemical attacks.

The United Nations Human Rights Council blamed the Syrian government forces for the attack.

Read more about chemical attacks in Syria here and here, and other cases claiming that the White Helmets used chemical weapons in Syria in order to accuse the Assad government and that the White Helmets have falsified chemical attacks evidence.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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