The Hague [Netherlands], Nov 26 ( ANI ): At the Fourth Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties here on November 23, India called for constructive engagement, dialogue and unity of purpose to reviewing the Operation of the
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Convention.
* Participates as part of the host team during inspections of
chemical weapon storage and destruction sites.
Chemical weapons have been around for thousands of years - from poisoned arrows, boiling tar, arsenic smoke to noxious fumes.
(3-4) "This is the most significant confirmed use of
chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja (Iraq) in 1988," said U.N.
Destruction of the equipment means that Syria can no longer produce new
chemical weapons, though Damascus still has to start destroying existing weapons and stockpiles.
The United Kingdom and France have also argued that Syria has used
chemical weapons. A British Foreign Office spokesperson stated April 25, 2013, that the United Kingdom has "limited but persuasive information from various sources showing
chemical weapon use in Syria, including sarin." (62) More recently, British Foreign Secretary William Hague stated on June 14, 2013, that the United Kingdom "agree[s] with the US assessment that
chemical weapons, including sarin, have been used in Syria by the Assad regime." Prior to the August 21, 2013, attack discussed below, the Syrian government used
chemical weapons "on at least 14 occasions," according to a British intelligence assessment published August 29, 2013.
Addressing the 91st session of the OPCW's Executive Council on Thursday, Kazemi Abadi said the US' unilateral sanctions against Iran have affected the process of treatment and exports of medicine for Iranian victims of
chemical weapons, and thus, have exacerbated their suffering, said the Iranian envoy.
Assad now appears close to victory against the forces trying to overthrow him, and this has been possible primarily due to the use of
chemical weapons, the use of which is prohibited in international armed conflicts in a series of treaties including the Hague declaration concerning asphyxiating gases of 1899, the Geneva gas protocol of 1925, the
chemical weapons convention of 1997 and the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court.
and France jointly launched airstrikes, targeting the Assad regime's
chemical weapons capabilities in retaliation for the suspected chemical attack.
GMT) and three main
chemical weapons facilities were targeted by missiles from both the sea and aircraft, which triggered Syrian air defenses.
The mission was set up jointly between the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations to investigate the use of
chemical weapons in Syria.