Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the briefing on the situation in the Middle East, Syria

Thank you very much Mr. President.

I would like to thank High Representantive Nakamitsu and Director General Shikhani for their informative briefings.

Mr. President,

Let me begin by stressing that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. We condemn in the strongest possible terms any use of chemical weapons by anyone, be it a State or non-State actor. Their repeated use in recent years in the Syrian Arab Republic and elsewhere is indicative of the remaining relevance of this threat to the international peace and security.

As events rapidly unfold in and around Aleppo, our concern is increasing. Chemical weapons have been used in that city before. The world is watching and so should this Council.

Mr. President,

Slovenia would like to express its unwavering support to the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and thank its Director-General for his regular reporting to the Council. We reiterate that the efforts of the Organization are pivotal to ensure Syria’s compliance with its obligations deriving from the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Slovenia remains concerned with the fact that after a decade, since Syria submitted its initial declaration, 19 questions remain unresolved. What is more, two new outstanding issues cropped up, which is an obvious step in the wrong direction. We urge Syria to comply with its obligations under the Convention, implement relevant Security Council resolutions and fully cooperate with the OPCW, by providing the necessary information in order to resolve the outstanding issues and ensuring unfettered access to the OPCW to relevant sites.

Slovenia remains fully committed to preventing the re-emergence of the use of chemical weapons and ensuring the accountability of the perpetrators of the attacks with chemical weapons in Syria and elsewhere. In this regard, we are confident that a multilateral approach with the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW and its fundamental pillars can deliver a world without chemical weapons.

I thank you.

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