Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria Regarding the Incidents Described in Communications from the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and Head of the National Authority of Syria - Addendum

S/1318/2015/Rev.1/Add.1

29 February 2016

Original: ENGLISH

NOTE BY THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT

REPORT OF THE OPCW FACT-FINDING MISSION IN SYRIA REGARDING THE INCIDENTS DESCRIBED IN COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE DEPUTY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND EXPATRIATES AND HEAD OF THE NATIONAL AUTHORITY OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

Addendum

1. This addendum provides information further to “The Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria Regarding the Incidents Described in Communications from the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and Head of the National Authority of the Syrian Arab Republic” (S/1318/2015/Rev.1, dated 17 December 2015).

2. On 18 December 2015, the Director-General addressed a letter to the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic enclosing a copy of report S/1318/2015/Rev.1 and drawing attention to the conclusion that: “there is a high degree of probability that some of those involved in the alleged incident in Darayya on 15 February 2015 were at some point exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance. However, the FFM could not confidently link the blood sample analyses to this particular incident nor determine how, when, or under what circumstances the exposure occurred” (paragraph 4.22 of S/1318/2015/Rev.1).

3. The aforementioned letter sought further comment from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic regarding the findings of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in relation to the incident in Darayya on 15 February 2015. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic was also requested to provide any records and/or additional information that would complement the witness testimonies and results of the blood sample analyses associated with the casualties involved in this incident. Such information would include, but was not restricted to:

(a) further interviews with the persons involved;

(b) photographs or video recordings of the incident that occurred in Darayya on 15 February 2015;

(c) remnants of any ordnance, launching system, or forensic evidence retrieved from the incident location; and

(d) environmental samples, including animal tissue, from the surroundings of the incident location, as well as background control samples.

4. A letter from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic received on 28 December 2015 welcomed a further visit by the FFM in January 2016.

5. Following this invitation, the FFM returned to Damascus from 26 to 31 January 2016. The FFM team was composed of four inspectors and two interpreters. Table 1 below provides further details of the team composition.

6. During its deployment, the FFM further conducted its investigation by collecting testimonies from three casualties involved in the incident in Darayya on 15 February 2015, by reviewing documents, and by visiting the Martyr Youssef Al-Adhma Hospital in Damascus (hereinafter “H601”) and the Centre for Studies and Scientific Research Institute in Barzi, Damascus.

7. The prevailing narrative, established by a review of the three interviews conducted during this deployment, by site visits, and by a review of the documents received from the Syrian Arab Republic, confirmed the narrative already described in paragraphs 3.90 to 3.92 of report S/1318/2015/Rev.1. However, no additional information was received that could corroborate the narrative and no further hard evidence was provided to the FFM during this deployment.

8. In view of the above, the FFM is of the opinion that no new information has come to light that would necessitate a change to the conclusion reached in report S/1318/2015/Rev.1. However, the FFM will review and analyse any further information or hard evidence that may be provided by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic in regard to the incident in Darayya on 15 February 2015.

9. This addendum to report S/1318/2015/Rev.1 was submitted on 26 February 2016 in English.

[signed]

Steven Wallis

Mission Leader