Diplomats say deadly nerve agents at undeclared Syria site

Chemical weapons experts have found traces of deadly nerve agents used to make chemical weapons at a site in Syria where the agents were not supposed to be, two diplomats have said.

The discovery of traces of sarin and VX renewed fears that Syria did not disclose all aspects of its chemical weapons programme when it joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 and agreed to destroy its chemical arsenal.

That decision averted a US military strike in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack which killed hundreds near Damascus on August 21st, 2013.

A team of experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has repeatedly visited Syria to discuss what they describe as anomalies in the declaration by Damascus of its chemical arsenal.

Several members of the UN Security Council fear Syria did not declare all chemical weapons.

A UN diplomat said on Wednesday that experts told the OPCW’s executive council at a meeting last week that they found the traces at a site the Syrians had declared, but said Damascus had not declared that sarin and VX were produced there.

Latvia's representative to the OPCW, Maris Klisans, speaking on behalf of the European Union at the executive council meeting, said in a speech that serious questions remain over the accuracy of Syria's declaration, which was supposed to list all its chemical weapons and production and storage facilities.

‘Not trivial issues’

“The list of discrepancies remains long,” he said. “These are not trivial bookkeeping issues.”

He listed a string of examples and ended by saying: “Last but not least, the recent finding of the DAT (Declaration Assessment Team), showing traces of precursors of VX and sarin were found on a site where they were not supposed to be.”

The UN diplomat said the assessment team is expected to follow up on the finding.

Syrian activists and doctors say another chemical agent, chlorine, has been used repeatedly in Syria in recent months, killing and injuring civilians. The US and other countries have blamed the Syrian government for repeatedly dropping chlorine from helicopters during the four-year civil war, as no other party to the conflict has helicopters. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have blamed rebels for such attacks.

Last week, the current Security Council president, Lithuanian ambassador Raimonda Murmokaite, said a large majority of its 15 members support a new US effort to create a way to attribute blame for the chlorine attacks.

Few details of that effort have emerged publicly, and top Syria ally Russia has warned that the effort must be objective.

Russia has repeatedly said more evidence is needed before blame can be assigned over the alleged attacks, which have increased since the council last month adopted a resolution condemning chlorine attacks in Syria and threatening action for further violations.

Neither the UN nor the OPCW has a mandate to assign blame for such attacks in Syria, making it impossible for the council to take further action, diplomats say.

Another UN diplomat said on Wednesday that the US proposal under discussion would create a panel of experts to examine all information and make a judgment on responsibility for the attacks.

Press Association