Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria Regarding Alleged Incidents in the Idlib Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic Between 16 March and 20 May 2015

S/1319/2015

29 October 2015

Original: ENGLISH

NOTE BY THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT

REPORT OF THE OPCW FACT-FINDING MISSION IN SYRIA REGARDING ALLEGED INCIDENTS IN THE IDLIB GOVERNORATE OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC BETWEEN 16 MARCH AND 20 MAY 2015

1. On 1 May 2015, the Director-General mandated the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in Syria to conduct an investigation into incidents of the alleged use of toxic chemicals, particularly chlorine, as a weapon in the Idlib Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic from 16 March 2015 onwards, as reported in the media.

2. The report of the FFM is hereby circulated to the States Parties (Annex 2). It provides a detailed account of the work undertaken by the FFM and the process leading to the findings presented therein. The FFM has presented its conclusions that several incidents that occurred in the Idlib Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic between 16 March 2015 and 20 May 2015 likely involved the use of one or more toxic chemicals—probably containing the element chlorine—as a weapon.

3. The work of the FFM has remained consistent with its mandate, which did not include the question of attributing responsibility for the alleged use.

Annexes:

Annex 1: Cover Note by the Head of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria

Annex 2: Report of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria Regarding Alleged Incidents in the Idlib Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic between 16 March and 20 May 2015

1. SUMMARY

1. Open-source media were examined and cross-referenced with other sources of information, including that obtained from non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This provided a credible basis for investigation, which resulted in a Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) being mandated (Appendix 1) to gather facts regarding incidents of alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the Idlib Governorate of the Syrian Arab Republic from 16 March 2015 onwards.

2. The FFM was led by and predominantly comprised inspectors, with support from various other divisions and branches within the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”). Interpreters were embedded in the team and were critical to the effective functioning of the mission. Furthermore, medical expertise was provided through the secondment of an external medical doctor to the team (Appendix 2).

3. The conclusions were derived from interviews and supplementary material submitted during the interview process. Additional input included media content and samples, which were used to corroborate each other as well as the information given in the interviews.

4. The inability of the team to, inter alia, visit the location shortly after the incident, review original records in situ, take its own samples, and totally control the selection of interviewees detracts from the strength of the conclusions that can be made by the FFM. However, sufficient facts were collected to conclude that incidents in the Syrian Arab Republic likely involved the use of one or more toxic chemicals— probably containing the element chlorine—as a weapon.