Federal Foreign Office on the OPCW’s report on the use of chemical weapons in Syria 

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has once again confirmed the use of chemical weapons in Syria in two cases in its report published yesterday. According to the report, it is very likely that the chemical warfare agent sarin was used on 24 March 2017 in Ltamenah (province of Hama), followed by chlorine gas as a weapon in an attack on a hospital one day later.

These attacks must stop. Those responsible for the use of such terrible weapons must be identified and brought to justice.

If weapons of mass destruction are used today in contravention of all international bans and norms, then we must not turn a blind eye to this. We have a duty to uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention, which is an important pillar of our rules based order. This is why Germany, together with other countries, has requested a Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which will take place in The Hague from 26 to 28 June 2018. Over 90 states have supported our request.

We are committed to ensuring that the 192 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention live up to their responsibility so that an end can be put to the use of chemical weapons and steps towards strengthening the Chemical Weapons Convention can be taken.