Syria – Chemical weapons (12 Dec. 2024)

Bashar al-Assad’s fallen regime was responsible for the use of chemical weapons on multiple occasions. These crimes must be punished.

France stresses that the use of chemical weapons by anyone anywhere at any time and under any circumstances is unacceptable, and those who use them must be punished. The fight against impunity for the use of chemical weapons is a priority for France, and one of our main focuses with regard to Syria. It was in this spirit that France launched the International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons in 2018.

After ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention more than 10 years ago, the Assad regime continued to use these weapons against its own people and never cooperated in good faith with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The declaration of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities is still incomplete, despite patient and rigorous efforts by OPCW teams.

Undeclared chemical weapons stockpiles are a proliferation risk. The fall of the Assad regime on December 8 offers a historic opportunity to finally destroy these weapons. The new de facto authorities must address this issue.

To this end, France will provide its full support for future cooperation between the OPCW and the new de facto Syrian authorities in order to assess, secure and destroy chemical weapons stockpiles and production facilities.

France calls on all OPCW member states to support the organization’s efforts, which are vital to the region’s security.