THE HAGUE: The State of Qatar has reiterated condemnation of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, calling on the international community to force the Syrian regime to implement the decisions of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and UN Security Council resolution 2118.
Qatar held the international community the responsibility to push the Syrian regime to continue its persistent in the killing and the use of these weapons in Ghouta and described putting the Syrian chemical weapons under control and then destroy them quickly as the first step in the right direction towards achieving the universality of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
This came in a speech delivered by HE Director of International Organizations and Conferences Department at the Foreign Ministry Ambassador Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani on the occasion of holding the 18th Session of the Conference of the States Parties (CSP) to the Chemical Weapons Convention in The Hague.
He said that the international community's failure to deal decisively and responsibly with the catastrophic situation in Syria and its continuation to overlook the serious violations and massacres committed by the Syrian regime against its own people push the Syrian regime to persist in the killing and the use of all kinds of heavy weapons, including the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta which is a flagrant violation of international law.
He called on the Security Council to review any reports of the organization submitted under Article VIII of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons which provides for the referral of cases of non-compliance to the Council and stressed the need to bring the perpetrators of crimes of the chemical weapons use to justice, considering them as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
HE Al-Qahtani demanded the states that possess chemical weapons to continue the disposal process of such weapons, so as the Convention not to lose credibility and to become a model for other agreements.
Ambassador Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani noted that the National Committee on Arms Embargo has.
In collaboration with other effective bodies in the state, hosted many events including workshops and training courses at the level of the Asian continent in different issues concerning to the Chemical Weapons Convention and other related international conventions.
The State of Qatar also recalled the countries that have not yet acceded to the Convention to do so quickly in order to achieve international peace and security, noting to the organization's Nobel Peace Prize win this year.
HE Director of International Organizations and Conferences Department at the Foreign Ministry said that Qatar has established a regional centre for training on the convention in cooperation with the OPCW under the name "the Doha regional centre for training on the conventions on weapons of mass destruction (WMD)."
The first center of its kind in Asia, which contributes to the implementation of many other international conventions and agreements, particularly the conventions of prohibition of weapons of mass destruction and UN Security Council Resolution 1540.
He pointed out that Qatar's efforts, including its active participation in the activities of this organization and through its membership in the Executive Council, supported the States Parties to the Asian Group to renew Qatar's membership in the Council for the next period 2014-2016.
Ambassador Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al-Qahtani expressed his deep gratitude for this support.
Stressing that Qatar will continue its vital role in activating and strengthening the role of the organization at both the regional and international levels and achieving the universality of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. (QNA)
