Officials in the Syrian Coalition said that the Assad regime has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians using indiscriminate, chemical, and biological weapons. They stressed that Bashar Assad and those responsible for the use of those weapons should be held to account.
Former Secretary-General of the Syrian Coalition Abdul Ilah Fahd said that there has lately been an international push to get rid of these weapons and ensure they are not used again against civilians, especially in Syria.
Last week, Fahd, the Coalition’s Ambassador to Qatar Nizar Haraki, and Doctor Hussam Nahas participated in a conference on the use of these weapons held in Germany under the title “Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Improvised Explosive Devices – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warfare in Syria” on the sidelines of the International Conference on the Elimination of Conventional Weapons.
Fahd said that the biggest challenge to get rid of these weapons is “the inaction of the international community” towards the use of these weapons, most especially in Syria. He pointed out that the decision to provide Syria with equipment for the safe handling of these weapons is an “unethical and was politically motivated and lead to an increase in casualties and deaths.”
Fahd indicated that two companies participating in the conference “have shown readiness to work with the Syrian Coalition and the Syrian Interim Government (SIG)” to provide the civil defense and medical personnel operating in Syria with anti-pollution agents and auto-injectors in the form of pens against possible chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime.
The Coalition’s Ambassador to Qatar Nizar Haraki stressed that the international community must set accountability for the use of these weapons as a top priority, adding that the repeated use of these weapons by the Assad regime poses a serious threat to international peace and security.
Haraki said the Assad regime’s use of sarin in the April 4 attack on the town of Khan Sheikoun represented blatant defiance to the international community, urging the UN Security Council and the United Nations to take urgent action to protect civilians and ensure that such attacks are not repeated.
France and Britain last Friday urged members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to act firmly on the findings of the organization’s latest report that confirmed that sarin was used in the April 4 attack on the town of Khan Sheikoun.
France said that the report by the world’s chemical weapons watchdog was “unequivocal” and that the conclusions of the report were “indisputable.”
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he has “absolutely no doubt the finger points at the Assad regime.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
