Mister President,
I would like to thank the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms Nakamitsu, for her presentation,
We also take note of the presentation by Mr Nidal Shikhani, Director General of the Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria.
On 5 January 2023, Switzerland took part in its first meeting within this Council, which focused on chemical weapons in Syria. Since then, throughout its mandate, Switzerland has consistently insisted on three specific priorities in this matter.
First priority: Switzerland has always called for cooperation between the Syrian government and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). We have encouraged a series of consultations between the Declarations Assessment Team (DAT) and the Syrian government.
In this regard, in our previous statement, we expressed our expectations following the DAT's visit to Syria in mid-September, the conclusions of which have yet to be communicated.
However, it is very regrettable and worrying for Switzerland that the Secretary-General's latest monthly report still lists 19 unresolved issues. When we joined the Council in January 2023, the same report mentioned 20 unresolved issues. The flagrant lack of progress is all the more unacceptable given that these issues concern potentially large quantities of munitions and chemical agents whose production has never been declared, and whose destruction has never been formally certified, by the OPCW.
Verifiable and scientifically plausible answers must be provided by Syria if it is to regain its rights and privileges as a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and fulfil its obligations under the resolutions of this Council. Until these answers are provided, Syria will be in violation of its obligations under the CWC and the resolutions of this Council.
Mister President,
Resolution 2118 stipulates that ‘those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria must be held accountable’. To ensure compliance with this provision and with international law, the fight against impunity has been Switzerland's second priority during its time on the Council. Those who manufacture, possess and even use such weapons must not go unpunished.
In this spirit, we would like once again to welcome the formal cooperation between the OPCW and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, and hope that their collaboration will continue along this path.
Finally, the third priority: Switzerland has consistently reiterated its support for and confidence in the OPCW and all its missions, emphasising their professionalism and integrity. In this respect, we welcome the 29th session of the Conference of States Parties which took place at the end of November in The Hague, at which Switzerland rejected any attempt to discredit the work of the OPCW.
In this respect, we supported the conclusions of the OPCW's Identification and Investigation Team (IIT) in early 2023, which postulated that there were ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ that the perpetrators of the attack in Douma in April 2018 were members of the Syrian air force. We also supported the conclusions of March 2024 relating to a chemical weapons attack carried out by the ‘Islamic State’ organisation in Marea in 2015.
Mister President,
By way of conclusion, the end of Switzerland's mandate on the Security Council does not mean its disengagement on the issue of chemical weapons in Syria and beyond, quite the contrary. Switzerland will continue to call for the strengthening of multilateralism in this area, and to support any international initiative working against the use or proliferation of chemical weapons in all circumstances.
Five days after the day of commemoration of all the victims of chemical warfare, this Council and the international community must speak with one voice and reaffirm their commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention, to put an end to impunity and to implement the Pact for the Future in favour of a world free of these weapons.
Thank you.