NOTE BY THE DIRECTOR–GENERAL PROGRESS IN THE ELIMINATION OF THE SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAMME

NOTE BY THE DIRECTOR–GENERAL PROGRESS IN THE ELIMINATION OF THE SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAMME 1. In accordance with subparagraph 2(f) of the decision by the Executive Council (hereinafter “the Council”) at its Thirty-Third Meeting (EC-M-33/DEC.1, dated 27 September 2013), the Technical Secretariat (hereinafter “the Secretariat”) reports to the Council on a monthly basis regarding the implementation of that decision. In accordance with paragraph 12 of United Nations Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), the report by the Secretariat is also submitted to the Security Council through the Secretary-General. This is the seventh such monthly report. 2. The Council, at its Thirty-Fourth Meeting, adopted a decision entitled “Detailed Requirements for the Destruction of Syrian Chemical Weapons and Syrian Chemical Weapons Production Facilities” (EC-M-34/DEC.1, dated 15 November 2013). In paragraph 22 of this decision, the Council decided that the Secretariat should report on its implementation “in conjunction with its reporting required by subparagraph 2(f) of Council decision EC-M-33/DEC.1”. 3. This report is therefore submitted in accordance with both above-mentioned Council decisions and includes information relevant to their implementation during the period from 23 March to 24 April 2014. Progress achieved by the Syrian Arab Republic in meeting the requirements of EC-M-33/DEC.1 and EC-M-34/DEC.1 4. In accordance with subparagraph 1(c) of EC-M-33/DEC.1, the Syrian Arab Republic is required to complete the elimination of all chemical weapons material and equipment in the first half of 2014. Previous reports have described the progress made by the Syrian Arab Republic against intermediate completion dates established under paragraphs 2 and 3 of EC-M-34/DEC.1 for the removal and destruction of Syrian chemical weapons outside its territory. Progress achieved within the current reporting period by the Syrian Arab Republic in fulfilling its obligations is described below: (a) As at the cut-off date of this report, a total of 18 movements of chemicals from chemical weapons storage facilities (CWSFs) to the port of embarkation at Latakia had taken place. During the period under review, there was a hiatus in movements attributed by the Syrian authorities to the security situation near Latakia. On this subject, the Syrian Arab Republic addressed a number of EC-M-40/DG.4 page 2 communications that have been made available to States Parties as OPCW protected documents. Removal activities recommenced on 4 April 2014 and, as at the cut-off date of this report, seven movements had taken place during the period under review. Even though the target date of 31 March 2014 for the effective destruction of Priority 1 chemicals set by subparagraph 3(a) of EC-M-34/DEC.1 was not met, the result of these significant movements is that 96.45% of declared Priority 1 chemicals and 81.09% of declared Priority 2 chemicals (making a combined total of 92.03% of Priority 1 and 2 chemicals) planned for destruction outside the Syrian Arab Republic have now been removed from Syrian territory. In addition, a total of 93.1% of the declared isopropanol has been verified as destroyed on Syrian territory; (b) Pursuant to sub-paragraph 2(a)(iv) of EC-M-34/DEC.1, the Syrian Arab Republic was requested to destroy, not later than 1 March 2014, the residue in containers previously containing mustard agent. As previously reported, 87% of such containers had been destroyed as at that date. During the period under review the Syrian authorities destroyed the remaining 41 empty containers; (c) As reported previously, pursuant to subparagraph 2(b) of EC-M-34/DEC.1, the target date for the destruction all of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons production facilities (CWPFs) was not later than 15 March 2014. During the reporting period, the Syrian Arab Republic carried out further destruction activities at declared CWPFs. As previously reported, the eight mobile CWPFs were already destroyed and verified in December 2013. During the reporting period, the Syrian Arab Republic continued the destruction of equipment and buildings at several of the 18 remaining declared CWPFs. Activities relating to the destruction of aircraft hangars and underground structures at 12 of the CWPFs are awaiting a decision by the Council on the combined plans for destruction and verification; (d) Pursuant to paragraph 19 of EC-M-34/DEC.1, the Syrian Arab Republic is required to submit a monthly report to the Council regarding activities on its territory related to the destruction of its chemical weapons and CWPFs. The fifth such report was submitted to the Secretariat on 15 April 2014 and made available to the Council (EC-M-40/P/NAT.3, dated 17 April 2014); (e) On 16 April 2014, the Syrian Arab Republic submitted an amendment to its initial declaration clarifying a previous amendment submitted on 7 March 2014 and providing exact numbers of quantities of declared chemicals; and (f) In accordance with subparagraph 1(e) of EC-M-33/DEC.1 and paragraph 7 of resolution 2118 (2013), the Syrian Arab Republic shall cooperate fully with all aspects of the implementation of the decision and the resolution. The Syrian authorities have continued to extend the necessary cooperation to the OPCW-United Nations Joint Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic (hereinafter “the Joint Mission”) in the conduct of its activities during the reporting period. EC-M-40/DG.4 page 3 Activities carried out by the Secretariat with respect to the Syrian Arab Republic 5. Effective cooperation with the United Nations in the context of the Joint Mission has continued with close coordination between the two organisations and between the offices in The Hague, New York, Damascus, and Cyprus. As at the cut-off date of this report, 12 OPCW staff members had been deployed as part of the Joint Mission in Damascus and Latakia, and one logistics officer in Beirut. 6. The Director-General and the Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission, Ms Sigrid Kaag, have maintained regular contact. The Director-General has continued to meet with senior representatives of the States Parties offering to host a destruction facility or otherwise providing assistance with transport or destruction of Syrian chemical weapons, and to communicate regularly with senior officials from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic. As requested by the Council at its Seventy-Fifth Session (paragraph 7.12 of EC-75/2, dated 7 March 2014), the Secretariat has continued to provide weekly information briefings to States Parties in The Hague on behalf of the Director-General. 7. As in prior reporting periods, Joint Mission personnel in the Syrian Arab Republic have been heavily involved in verifying the packing and loading of chemicals prior to their transportation to the port of embarkation at Latakia. As previously reported, activities at the relevant CWSFs included verifying the chemicals against the initial declaration, taking an inventory of the chemicals loaded into each shipping container, conducting sampling on a random basis, and sealing the containers. Upon the arrival of the containers at Latakia, the inventory documents for each shipping container were checked, the integrity of the seals was confirmed, and the contents of the containers were verified on a random basis. As at the cut-off date of this report, all declared chemicals in the Syrian Arab Republic, except for those chemicals consolidated at one site near Damascus, had been transported to Latakia. 8. As the movement of chemicals to Latakia has progressed, Joint Mission personnel have verified the closure of CWSFs. As at the cut-off date of this report, 11 out of the 12 declared CWSFs had been verified as empty. For seven of these facilities, final inspection reports had been sent to the Director-General. Final inspection reports for another four CWSFs were submitted to the Syrian authorities for their comments, while the remaining CWSF is pending verification. Joint Mission personnel also verified the destruction, described above in subparagraph 4(b), of the remaining 41 empty containers that had previously contained mustard agent. As requested by paragraph 21 of EC-M-34/DEC.1, the Secretariat can therefore confirm to the Council that the requirement of sub-paragraph 2(a)(iv) of EC-M-34/DEC.1 has been fulfilled. 9. Joint Mission personnel have also visited several CWPFs to verify the destruction activities carried out by the Syrian Arab Republic, which are described in subparagraph 4(c) above. For five such facilities, Joint Mission personnel verified the destruction of equipment and buildings and submitted final inspection reports to the Syrian authorities, two of which have already been transmitted to the Director-General. Verification of destruction activities at one more CWPF is pending the review by Joint Mission personnel of information provided by Syrian personnel. Verification of destruction activities at the remaining 12 CWPFs is pending a decision by the Council on the combined plans for destruction and verification. Final EC-M-40/DG.4 page 4 inspection reports for the eight mobile CWPFs were submitted during an earlier reporting period. 10. On 22 April 2014, a team of technical experts from the Secretariat travelled to Damascus to meet with Syrian authorities as part of continuing efforts to streamline and complete the data regarding the initial declaration submitted by the Syrian Arab Republic in October 2013, and subsequent amendments, as well as the verification work. 11. As reported previously, the Secretariat, as required by paragraph 13 of EC-M-34/DEC.1, has developed a draft facility agreement for Syrian CWSFs and submitted the draft to the Syrian authorities for their comments, which are still pending. 12. OPCW personnel have conducted pre-operational visits to commercial facilities selected pursuant to paragraph 24 of decision EC-M-34/DEC.1 or sponsored by States Parties pursuant to paragraph 7 of decision EC-M-36/DEC.2. Thus, visits took place in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Ellesmere Port High Temperature Incinerator which has been sponsored by this State Party to carry out the destruction of priority 1 chemicals, and to the Marchwood Military Port, which will be used for the receipt of the chemicals. Pre-operational visits were also conducted in Finland to the Ekokem Riihimäki waste treatment and disposal facility, selected for the disposal of priority 1 and 2 chemicals through the solicitation process conducted by the OPCW, and to the port of Hamina Kotka. During the visits, OPCW personnel reviewed all practical aspects related to the receipt, transportation, temporary storage, and destruction/disposal of the Syrian chemicals at those facilities, and discussed practical arrangements to ensure the adequate verification of these activities in accordance with the approved facility arrangement or agreement (see EC-75/DEC.3 and EC-75/DEC.4 respectively, both dated 5 March 2014). Visits are also planned to relevant facilities in Germany and the United States of America. 13. On 10 April 2014, the United States of America and the OPCW co-hosted a visit by international media and NGOs aboard the vessel MV Cape Ray, while it was anchored at the port of Rota in Spain. The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate the extensive safety and security measures that have been put into place to guard against any risk to the operating personnel and to the environment during the destruction operations. The Secretariat will shortly facilitate a conference call to provide interested parties with information on the removal and destruction operations. A similar conference call was held in January 2014. Supplementary resources 14. As reported in the previous monthly reports, several States Parties are providing assistance and resources for the purposes of the transportation, removal, and destruction of Syrian chemical weapons. All equipment requested by the Syrian Arab Republic has now been provided, either through the Joint Mission or under bilateral arrangements, and all the elements necessary for the removal of chemical weapons from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and their subsequent destruction are now in place. EC-M-40/DG.4 page 5 15. During the reporting period, the governments of Belgium and Germany announced that they would make available naval vessels to provide security to the MV Cape Ray once neutralisation operations begin on board. 16. As at the cut-off date of this report, the balance in the Syria Trust Fund for the Destruction of Chemical Weapons stood at EUR 47.5 million. Contributions have been received from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This includes the contributions that were originally made to the first OPCW Trust Fund for Syria and which have, at the request of the donor, subsequently been transferred, in part or in whole, to the Syria Trust Fund for the Destruction of Chemical Weapons. A further contribution of EUR 2 million is expected from Italy, and India has committed to contribute approximately EUR 736,000. Conclusion 17. Following the resumption of movements of chemicals on 4 April 2014, significant progress has been made and only a small quantity of chemicals remains to be removed from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. The Syrian Arab Republic has reiterated its commitment to completing the removal process as per the schedule that it had provided, according to which the process of removal is to be completed by 27 April 2014. It is important that the remaining materials be removed as soon as possible so that the next phase of the destruction of chemicals removed from the Syrian Arab Republic can commence. This will go a long way to ensuring that the plans for the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons programme by the middle of 2014 remains on track. 18. The Syrian Arab Republic's willingness to engage in consultations relating to the accuracy and completeness of declarations covering its chemical weapons programme is a positive step. The success of this endeavour would constitute an important confidence-building measure regarding adherence by the Syrian Arab Republic to its commitments under the Convention, the decisions of the Council, and United Nations Security Council resolution 2118 (2013). 19. Recent allegations of use of toxic chemicals in several parts of the Syrian Arab Republic are a source of serious concern. The OPCW has been in touch with the Syrian authorities with a view to exploring possibilities of establishing the facts surrounding these allegations.