NEW YORK, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) — Xing Jisheng, adviser to China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, warned on Monday against politicizing the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). .
Investigations and handling of alleged use of chemical weapons must strictly follow the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention, respect science and facts, and ensure procedural compliance, reliable evidence and credible conclusions, a- he indicated.
There are doubts about the sources of information, the method of work and the entire chain of evidence of the report of the fact-finding mission on the alleged use of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria. So far, the doubts still remain to be clarified. This will inevitably end up affecting the credibility of the mission’s work, Xing told the Security Council.
“China calls for maintaining the technical characteristics of the OPCW, and avoiding politicization of its work,” he said.
In recent years, some countries have repeatedly favored a vote in the absence of consensus, seriously undermining the authority and effectiveness of the OPCW. China calls on the Director General to play an active role in promoting dialogue among state parties, return to the tradition of decision-making by consensus and avoid going further down the path of division. The OPCW should not be instrumentalized for the pursuit of geopolitical objectives, said the Chinese diplomat.
Syria has repeatedly expressed its willingness to cooperate with the OPCW technical secretariat, and its constructive attitude deserves recognition, he noted, adding that the technical secretariat must adopt an equally constructive and be flexible. “We would like the two sides to hold the 25th round of technical consultations as soon as possible to promote the settlement of important issues and continue communication on issues such as the inspections of the Syrian Center for Scientific Studies and Research as well as the meeting in person between the Director General and the Syrian Foreign Minister.”
Since 2017, the Syrian government has repeatedly provided the technical secretariat with information on the possession and use of chemical weapons by terrorist groups, Xing said, noting that it deserves the attention of the technical secretariat.
Considering the limited resources and the heavy agenda of the Security Council, China strongly suggests reducing the frequency of briefings on Syria or combining the different issues for joint consideration. This will not only address Syrian issues from a comprehensive perspective, but also improve the Council’s effectiveness, he said. End
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