Damascus ‘rejects’ watchdog vote curbing chemical exports to Syria

DAMASCUS: Syria´s foreign ministry on Sunday lambasted a decision by the world´s chemical weapons watchdog to limit chemical exports to the war-torn country.

“Syria rejects the resolution that was adopted” at the annual meeting on Thursday of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a ministry statement said. It slammed Western nations that put forward the resolution, saying the vote “reflects Western hatred towards developing countries”.

On Thursday, a majority of OPCW member countries voted for “collective measures” to stop the transfer of certain chemicals and chemical-making technology to Syria. It cited Syria´s “continued possession and use of chemical weapons” and “its failures to submit an accurate and complete declaration and to destroy all its undeclared chemical weapons and production facilities”.

Syria agreed in 2013 to join the world´s chemicals watchdog following after an alleged chemical gas attack killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus. But the OPCW, based in The Hague, has since accused the Damascus of carrying out a series of chemical attacks during the civil war. The Syrian government has denied the allegations.