Members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) approved a resolution Wednesday that limits Syria's rights and privileges. The document was adopted in a vote at the Conference of the States Parties (CSP), which was broadcast live on the organization's website.
A total of 136 states participated in the vote, with 87 of them supporting the resolution. Russia and 14 other countries opposed the document, which deprived Syria of the right to vote at the CSP and the Executive Council, to be elected to it, as well as to hold on its territory any activities within the framework of the said conference, council and auxiliary structures.
The resolution was submitted to the OPCW members at the initiative of France and was supported by 46 states. The reason for its preparation was the report of the investigation and identification team, which was published on April 8, 2020. The document claims that the Syrian authorities are responsible for three incidents of poisonous substances that took place in the locality of Al-Lataminah in Homs province in March 2017.
Earlier, speaking to TASS, Alexander Shulgin, Russia's Permanent Representative to the OPCW, said that the accusations against Damascus are far-fetched and dictated by the geopolitical agenda of those countries that are pursuing their narrow, self-serving agenda on the Syrian issue. According to him, the ultimate goal of those states is to change the government in Syria.
In turn, Rania al-Rifai, Charge d'Affaires of the Arab Republic to the OPCW, called on the OPCW members not to accept the resolution, calling it unfair and directed against Syria and the Syrian people.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Public Domain
Based on materials from TASS