President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Anas Abdah, sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, regarding the report the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has recently issued and which confirmed the Assad regime’s responsibility for three chemical weapons attacks on the town of Al-Lataminah in rural Hama in 2017.
President Abdah called on OIC to support the efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the use of chemical weapons by pushing for implementation of article 21 of UNSC Resolution 2118, which states that “in the event of … unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic, to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.”
President Abdah also called for supporting immediate initiation of accountability measures against all perpetrators, including higher authorities of the Syrian regime command. He also called for continuing to support the efforts of the political track to achieve a political transition by fully implementing UN Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) and the Geneva Communique of 2012.
“For over nine years now, the Syrian regime has not abided by or responded to any of the calls, initiatives, decisions, or solutions, and has blatantly and completely disregarded all efforts to reach a political solution, refusing to seriously engage in negotiations and undermining efforts that gave Syrians a glimpse of hope.”
President Abdah added: “Instead, opting to continue with the same behavior that has resulted in the death, detention, disappearance, and displacement of millions of Syrians, not to mention destroying homes, infrastructure, and historical landmarks throughout Syria.” He stressed that any actions that would allow for impunity thereof or renormalization of relations therewith are out of the question. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
