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Syria

Letter dated 27 May 2016 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council - Progress in the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons programme (S/2016/494) [EN/AR]

Attachments

I have the honour to transmit herewith the thirty-second monthly report of the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), submitted pursuant to paragraph 12 of Security Council resolution 2118 (2013). The report covers the period from 22 April to 23 May 2016.

With respect to the destruction of the chemical weapons production facilities declared by the Syrian Arab Republic, the security situation continues to prevent access to the hangar that remains to be destroyed. For the same reason, the OPCW Technical Secretariat is still unable to confirm the condition of two other stationary above-ground facilities. However, I note that although the Syrian Arab Republic was exploring the possibility of safely accessing one of the two above-ground facilities, the frequently changing security situation has limited plans to that end.

With respect to the initial declaration and subsequent submissions by the Syrian Arab Republic, the Director-General of OPCW and representatives of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic met in The Hague from 27 to 30 April 2016, with the aim of resolving all outstanding issues in that regard. A visit by a team from the OPCW Technical Secretariat will take place in Damascus from 30 May to 3 June 2016, and will engage not only on issues that remain to be resolved, but also on the most recent analytical results of samples collected by the OPCW Declaration Assessment Team during its visit to the Syrian Arab Republic in January 2016. I note, in particular, the fact that the Director-General has indicated that these results have increased the scope of issues that remain to be resolved. I also note that the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is continuing to engage in dialogue and to cooperate with OPCW on this matter.

I underscore my continuing and grave concern over allegations of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic. I note that the OPCW fact-finding mission in the Syrian Arab Republic is continuing to study all available information related to such allegations.

Pursuant to Security Council resolution 2235 (2015), the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism is proceeding with the investigation of the nine selected cases. During the reporting period, the Leadership Panel met with officials in Washington, D.C. The Mechanism’s investigators also undertook their second technical visit to Damascus. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is continuing to cooperate with the Mechanism. Information and material received in Damascus are under review and the Mechanism has continued to receive information relevant to its investigation from other Member States.

In addition, and in accordance with paragraph 7 of resolution 2235 (2015), the Mechanism has engaged with non-governmental organizations and other entities with knowledge about the nine cases under investigation. The Mechanism will present a written progress report to the Security Council for its consideration during the month of June 2016.

(Signed) BAN Ki-moon