Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Geneva, SANA – Syria affirmed that it never used and will never use toxic gases against its people because it does not possess them in the first place and it considers the use of such gases a moral crime that must be condemned.
The affirmation came in a letter sent by Syria’s Permanent Representative at the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Hussam Ala, to the President of Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in response to the allegations made by a committee affiliated to the Human Rights Council claiming that the Syrian state used toxic gases in Khan Sheikoun and other places.
The Representative reiterated in the letter that the International Commission of Inquiry’s report and the void political accusations included in it are groundless, because since its inception, the Commission has been issuing reports and statements based on political accysations, not legal analysis, and its members kept making media statements that are far from being neutral or professional.
Ala said that despite repeated warnings against the repercussions of such deviant behavior, the Commission continued in its negative behavior and in overstepping its jurisdiction as an investigative and monitoring committee by leveling accusation and engaging in politicization and selectiveness based on allegations from impartial sides, coming up with recommendations and interpretations that have no tangible basis whatsoever.
The letter said that the Commission’s insistence on getting itself involved in the issue of chemical weapons and its use is a blatant departure from its mandate and the mandate of the Human Rights Council, as it transgresses upon the jurisdiction of the Technical Inquiry Committees established by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the mandate of the Joint Investigation Mechanism, and the jurisdiction of the UN Security Council which established it.
Ala noted that the report reveals the Commission’s premeditated intentions, since it made preemptive accusations against the Syrian state regarding the alleged incident in Khan Sheikhoun mere hours after it occurred before any investigation was carried out, asserting that the report and the provocative statements seek to give excuses to launch new attacks on Syria and cover up the US attack on al-Shuairat airport after Trump’s administration failed to provide any evidence to back up its allegations.
He went on to say that while Syria reiterates that it never used any toxic chemicals at any time and that it does not possess any chemicals after having terminated its chemical program as attested by the OPCW, the Commission’s deviation from its mandate and amateurish way of adopting allegations marketed by sides affiliated with terrorists shows that this Commission ignores professional criteria and is completely devoid of professionalism, credibility, and neutrality.
Ala affirmed that the politicized and selective behavior of the Commission since the beginning and its negative impact on the situation on the ground and reconciliation efforts prompts the Syrian Arab Republic to disregard all its reports as it has become a cheap propaganda machine serving the agendas of certain states.
He concluded by saying that Syria demands that the UNHRC terminate the mission of such committee that undermine it and its role, and to implement guidelines to prevent certain states from exploiting the UNHRC to serve its own political goals.
Manar/Ghossoun / Hazem Sabbagh
