Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Saudi Arabia launches pavilion at Bologna International Book Fair 2025    Rare Kaaba interior coverings showcased at Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Marine Le Pen sentenced to prison, barred from office over EU funds embezzlement    UK returns over 24,000 migrants as Starmer scraps Rwanda deportation plan    Missing US soldiers' armored vehicle recovered from Lithuanian swamp    Myanmar declares seven days of national mourning after devastating earthquake    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Defense, interior, and national guard ministers extend Eid greetings, praise efforts of military and security personnel    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Elon Musk's xAI acquires X in all-stock deal    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    NewJeans announces hiatus after setback in court battle    George Foreman, heavyweight champion and cultural icon, dies at 76    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



End impunity for use of chemical weapons in Syria, UN disarmament chief urges Security Council
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 04 - 02 - 2021

The United Nations top disarmament official, on Wednesday, stressed the urgent need to not only identify those who have used chemical weapons in Syria, but also hold them accountable for their deeds.
"Without such an action, we are allowing the use of chemical weapons to take place with impunity", Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the Security Council in a virtual briefing.
"It is imperative that this Council shows leadership in demonstrating that impunity in the use of these weapons will not be tolerated", she added.
p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"Nakamitsu was briefing the Council members on the implementation of resolution 2118 where unanimous agreement was reached in 2013 to condemn "in the strongest terms" any use of chemical weapons in Syria. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"Through the resolution, the Security Council also expressed its "strong conviction" that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons there should be held accountable. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"Nakamitsu informed the Security Council that while the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the ability of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to deploy to Syria, the body's Technical Secretariat continued with its activities related to the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"She also said that the OPCW Fact Finding Mission (FFM) continues to study all available information related to allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, as well as its engagement with the Government and other States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px""As previously reported, further FFM deployments will be subject to the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic," she added. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"Nakamitsu recalled the information provided by the OPCW Director-General to the Security Council last December, which noted that three outstanding issues related to Syria's initial declaration were closed, while 19 remain outstanding. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"One of the issues pertained to a chemical weapons production facility, which Syria declared as never being used for such production, she said. "However, the review of all the information and other materials gathered by the OPCW DAT since 2014, indicates that production and/or weaponization of chemical warfare nerve agents did take place at this facility." p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"The OPCW secretariat has requested Syria to provide information on the "exact types and qualities" of agents produced and/or weaponized, but the country is yet to respond, Ms. Nakamitsu added. p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"The UN High Representative urged Syria to cooperate fully with the OPCW secretariat, noting that "the confidence of the international community in the full elimination of Syria's p style="background-color:#ffffff; box-sizing:border-box; color:#666666; font-family:Lato,Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:normal; margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px; margin-top:0px; text-align:justify; text-indent:0px; text-transform:none; white-space:normal; word-spacing:0px"chemical weapons program depends upon the OPCW being able to close these outstanding issues." — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.