Strikes on Syrian chemical weapons sites risk contaminating and destroying valuable evidence, the head of the international watchdog warned on Thursday, admitting that the group did not yet know whether sites have been affected.
There has been widespread global concern about the fate of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons since the dramatic overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
On Monday, Israel said it had struck “remaining chemical weapons or long-range missiles and rockets in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists” in Syria.
The director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Fernando Arias, said his group was “following closely” reports of strikes on military facilities.
“We do not know yet whether these strikes have affected chemical weapons-related sites. Such airstrikes could create a risk of contamination,” said Arias in a speech.
“Another real risk would be the destruction of valuable evidence for investigations by different independent international bodies related to past use of chemical weapons,” he added.
In 2014, the OPCW set up what it called a “fact-finding mission” to investigate chemical weapons use in Syria.
This team has issued 21 reports covering 74 instances of alleged chemical weapons use, according to the OPCW.
Investigators concluded that chemical weapons were used or likely used in 20 instances.
“Additionally, we also have to consider the risk of any dangerous chemicals or equipment being lost, without any control” amid the airstrikes, warned Arias in his speech.
Syria agreed to join the OPCW in 2013 shortly after an alleged chemical gas attack killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus.
It handed over its declared stockpile for destruction but the OPCW has always been concerned that the declaration made by Damascus was incomplete and that more weapons remained.
Taking control of Syria, the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group pledged its “readiness to cooperate with the international community in everything related to monitoring weapons and sensitive areas”.
The group also said it would safeguard the country’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensure they would not be used against citizens.
Arias acknowledged he had heard “positive signals” from within Syria but has not yet had official contact with the new authorities.
The change of government “may present an opportunity… to obtain clarifications on the full extent and scope of the Syrian chemical weapons programme”, said Arias.
“This is a task that we have not been able to complete with the former government over the past 11 years.”
Since 2014, the OPCW has raised 26 separate questions over potential stockpiles with the Syrian authorities. Only seven have been resolved.
