Syria still holds cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and calls on OPCW member states to treat the chemical file according to its technical nature and not to reach preconceived conclusions, Sabbagh said at a UN Security Council (UNSC) session.
Quoted by SANA news agency, Sabbagh reaffirmed his condemnation of the use of chemical weapons anywhere, anytime, by anyone and under any circumstances, stressing that Damascus has never used any of these banned weapons or any toxic substances.
Sabbagh unveiled that the first toxic substance use incident in the country popped on March 19, 2013, as terrorist groups fired a shell containing toxic materials in Khan al-Assal area, Aleppo, leaving 25 dead, most of them from the Syrian Arab Army, 110 people suffocated and fainted.
Despite the official request by the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) to send an independent investigation team, the site of the incident was not checked and no investigations were conducted into it so far.
As stated by Sabbagh, Damascus gave over 500 visas to OPCW Technical Secretariat staffers over the past nine years, and made possible 24 rounds of consultations and nine inspections to the Scientific Studies and Research centers.
We reiterate our cooperation to close this chemical file now, and call on the Technical Secretariat to show professionalism and impartiality, the Syrian ambassador concluded.
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