INDIA STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR VENU RAJAMONY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA TO THE OPCW AT THE FIFTY-EIGHTH MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

INDIA STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR VENU RAJAMONY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA TO THE OPCW AT THE FIFTY-EIGHTH MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Thank you, Mr Chairperson for giving me the floor. My delegation would like to thank the Director-General for his statement on the deployment of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to Douma, Syrian Arab Republic. We commend the prompt deployment of FFM to Douma. We express our appreciation to the Director-General and the OPCW staff for their commitment to the aims and work of the organisation often in challenging circumstances. The alleged use of chemical weapons, if true, is deplorable. We call for an impartial and objective investigation by the OPCW. Any use of chemical weapons is in complete disregard of humanity, and is reprehensible and contrary to the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention as well as accepted international norms. It has been India’s consistent position that the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, under any circumstances, cannot be justified and the perpetrators of such abhorrent acts must be held accountable. I request that this statement be circulated as an official document of this session and posted on the OPCW’s public website. Thank you.