ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reiterated its firm opposition to the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances and called for continued international cooperation to address outstanding issues related to Syria’s chemical weapons file.
Speaking during a United Nations Security Council briefing on the Middle East focused on Syria and chemical weapons on Thursday, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and efforts aimed at its universal, effective, and non-discriminatory implementation.
Ambassador Jadoon welcomed the Syrian authorities’ commitment to extending full cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), including facilitating the work of Technical Secretariat teams and providing unrestricted access to suspected sites linked to the country’s former chemical weapons program.
He noted that such cooperation could help accelerate efforts to eliminate any remaining traces of chemical weapons activities.
OPCW report
Referring to the latest OPCW report, the Pakistani envoy observed that 19 out of 26 outstanding issues remain unresolved, while additional locations continue to be assessed for possible declaration under the Convention.
The ambassador highlighted several challenges affecting progress, including institutional constraints, limited technological capacities, security concerns, and the continued occupation of parts of Syrian territory, which impact the timely implementation of the OPCW mandate.
Pakistan stressed the importance of enhancing Syrian capacities and extending international support to overcome these obstacles.
Ambassador Jadoon commended countries assisting Syria in this regard, particularly Türkiye and Qatar, for their contributions to capacity-building efforts.
He emphasized that the OPCW Technical Secretariat must continue its independent verification work and expressed hope that ongoing engagement between Syria and the OPCW would help resolve all remaining issues and facilitate the closure of the long-standing file.
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