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Agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons
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(Redirected from Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons)
The Agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons
is a process that began with a September 14, 2013 agreement between the
United States and Russia calling for the elimination of Syria's chemical weapon stockpiles by mid-2014.[1][2][3] Following the Russia-U.S. agreement, called the Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons, Syria acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention
and will apply the convention provisionally until its entry into force
on October 14. On September 21, Syria provided a list of its chemical
weapons stocks to OPCW, meeting a Framework deadline for a comprehensive
listing of its stockpile.[4]
On Friday, September 27, just hours after the the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) approved a detailed implementation plan for the U.S./Russian agreement, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that makes the plan binding on the Syrians.[5] The OPCW, along with UN inspectors, will supervise the destruction or removal of chemical arms, while the Security Council will have responsibility for making certain Syria has fulfilled its commitments under the agreement.[6][7] Reuters news agency reported that the OPCW would begin inspecting Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons on October 1, 2013.[8] The agreement led to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2118.
On September 9, 2013, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the air strikes could be averted if Syria turned over "every single bit" of its chemical weapons stockpiles within a week, but State Department officials stressed that Kerry's statement and its one-week deadline were rhetorical in light of the unlikelihood of Syria turning over its chemical weapons.[12][13] However, hours after Kerry's statement, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia had suggested to Syria that it relinquish its chemical weapons,[14] and Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem immediately welcomed the proposal.[7][14]
Russia has previously vetoed three resolutions attempting to sanction Syria, and is considered likely to veto any U.N. Security Council resolutions for military action against Syria.[9] The U.S., however, has indicated it might if necessary resort to military action outside the U.N. if Syria fails to comply with the Framework.
The draft agreed to by the U.S., France, Britain, China and Russia makes two binding demands on Syria, that it eliminate its chemical stockpile and that it allow complete access to UN and OPCW chemical weapons inspectors.[20] If it does not comply with either demand, the Security Council would need to adopt a second resolution regarding imposition of military or other actions against Syria under the UN Charter's Chapter VII.[21] The vote on the resolution was delayed until September 27 because the OPCW needed to vote first on its detailed implementation plan.[22] Syria vowed to abide by the resolution.[23]
The negotiations over the Security Council draft resolution had initially been contentious,[24][25][26] as the U.S., the UK, and France had submitted a draft resolution that included automatic invocation of Chapter VII, triggering possible use of military force if Syria did not fulfill its commitments under the agreement, while members Russia and China were opposed to any resolution that sanctions enforcement under Chapter VII without a second vote of the Security Council.[27][28][29]
Inspectors will be given unusually broad authority, because Syria is required under the plan to provide inspectors unobstructed access to any suspected chemical weapons site, even if the Syrian government had not identified the location in its list of chemical weapons sites, and without the special procedures normally required for "Challenge Inspections" under Article IX of the convention.[5]
The Executive Council's decision further calls, "on an urgent basis," for funding by member states of the Syrian chemical weapons elimination process,[33] and stipulates that if the Director-General determines there is a delay in implementation of the Decision, the matter shall be discussed within 24 hours, on which moment also it should be considered to wether the matter should be submitted to the UN Security Council.
On 21 September 2013, Syria met the Framework's first deadline, for comprehensive chemical weapons disclosure.[4] The OPCW stated it had received and was reviewing the "expected disclosure" concerning Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles, 24 hours after stating it had received an "initial declaration" document from Syrian authorities.[35][36][37][38][39]
The OPCW has stated that its experts will use on-site inspections to verify the accuracy of the disclosure by Syria, "and will also assist in putting into place arrangements to keep the warfare materials and the relevant facilities secure until their destruction."[40]
Ali Haidar, Syria's Minister of National Reconciliation, praised the agreement as "a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends."[42] He described the agreement as removing a pretext for a U.S. attack on the country.[7] Iran also stated that the agreement had deprived the U.S. of a pretext for attacking Syria.[9][41]
Free Syrian Army General Salim Idris denounced the initiative. Referencing the Ghouta chemical attacks, he stated that "a crime against humanity has been committed, and there is not any mention [in the agreement] of accountability."[3]
Leaders of the main rebel coalition, the Syrian National Coalition, were angered that the U.S. had reversed course suddenly, after informing coalition leaders that missile strikes on Syrian government forces were imminent.[43] In addition, in the view of opposition leaders, the agreement with Russia represented a de facto admission of the Bashar al-Assad government's legitimacy, making it less likely that possible peace talks would result in his removal from power.[44]
On September 10, 2013, Yochi Dreazen, writing in Foreign Policy, stated that the implementation of the plan would not be easy: "Taking control of Assad's enormous stores of the munitions would be difficult to do in the midst of a brutal civil war. Dozens of new facilities for destroying the weapons would have to be built from scratch or brought into the country from the U.S., and completing the job would potentially take a decade or more." The success of the plan would depend on Syria revealing 100% of its stockpile, much of which is moveable and spread across dozens of sites - and it would be difficult, particularly in civil war conditions, to verify that this had happened.[46]
On Friday, September 27, just hours after the the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) approved a detailed implementation plan for the U.S./Russian agreement, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that makes the plan binding on the Syrians.[5] The OPCW, along with UN inspectors, will supervise the destruction or removal of chemical arms, while the Security Council will have responsibility for making certain Syria has fulfilled its commitments under the agreement.[6][7] Reuters news agency reported that the OPCW would begin inspecting Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons on October 1, 2013.[8] The agreement led to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2118.
Contents
Background
According to reports by the governments of the U.S., France and the U.K., Syria has used poison gas on multiple occasions, most notably in the August 21, 2013 Ghouta attacks. The Syrian government has blamed rebels for that attack and for all other chemical weapons attacks in Syria. In response to the Ghouta events, a coalition of countries led by the U.S. and France, which are in support of the rebels,[9] threatened air strikes on Syria. Russia, a key ally of Syria,[10] had earlier sided with the Syrian government and blocked US-led efforts at the United Nations Security Council for UN-sanctioned military intervention.[11]On September 9, 2013, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the air strikes could be averted if Syria turned over "every single bit" of its chemical weapons stockpiles within a week, but State Department officials stressed that Kerry's statement and its one-week deadline were rhetorical in light of the unlikelihood of Syria turning over its chemical weapons.[12][13] However, hours after Kerry's statement, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia had suggested to Syria that it relinquish its chemical weapons,[14] and Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem immediately welcomed the proposal.[7][14]
Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons
Negotiations
From September 12 to 14, details of the Framework were negotiated at the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland. High-level negotiations were held between Kerry and Lavrov, with large teams of experts simultaneously working on technical details.[15][16] A key breakthrough was reported to occur when the US and Russia agreed on their approximations of the Syrian chemical weapon stockpile (estimated at 1,000 tons of Sarin, Mustard gas and VX nerve gas).[16]Overview
The Framework provides the following target dates, which the OPCW Executive Council adopted in its entirety in its own detailed plan:[3][17]- Syria must provide a comprehensive listing of its weapons to the OPCW by September 21, 2013.
- Initial OPCW on-site inspections of declared sites must be completed by November 2013.
- "Equipment for producing, mixing, and filling chemical weapons must be destroyed by November 2013."
- "All chemical weapons material and equipment" must be eliminated in the first half of 2014.
Enforcement provision
The Framework states that, in the event of noncompliance, the UN Security Council should impose measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The Framework does not state how Syria’s compliance would be measured, or what the penalties would be if it did not comply.[18] (Under the UN Charter, Chapter VII measures range from "demonstrations" to sanctions or military action and can be vetoed by any of the five permanent members of the Security Council.)Russia has previously vetoed three resolutions attempting to sanction Syria, and is considered likely to veto any U.N. Security Council resolutions for military action against Syria.[9] The U.S., however, has indicated it might if necessary resort to military action outside the U.N. if Syria fails to comply with the Framework.
Security Council resolution
On September 26 the five permanent members of the UN Security Council reached agreement on a draft resolution on implementation and enforcement of the chemical weapons agreement,[6][19] and on the following day, just hours after the the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) approved the U.S./Russian plan, the Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that makes the plan binding on the Syrians.[8]The draft agreed to by the U.S., France, Britain, China and Russia makes two binding demands on Syria, that it eliminate its chemical stockpile and that it allow complete access to UN and OPCW chemical weapons inspectors.[20] If it does not comply with either demand, the Security Council would need to adopt a second resolution regarding imposition of military or other actions against Syria under the UN Charter's Chapter VII.[21] The vote on the resolution was delayed until September 27 because the OPCW needed to vote first on its detailed implementation plan.[22] Syria vowed to abide by the resolution.[23]
The negotiations over the Security Council draft resolution had initially been contentious,[24][25][26] as the U.S., the UK, and France had submitted a draft resolution that included automatic invocation of Chapter VII, triggering possible use of military force if Syria did not fulfill its commitments under the agreement, while members Russia and China were opposed to any resolution that sanctions enforcement under Chapter VII without a second vote of the Security Council.[27][28][29]
OPCW Executive Council Decision
The Executive Council of the OPCW met on September 27 and adopted a decision, "Destruction of Syrian Chemical Weapons,"[30] that is a detailed and accelerated plan for the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons and an approval of the provisional application pending entry into force.[31] The plan adds detail to but does not vary from the basic deadlines in the U.S.-Russian Framework. The OPCW stated that the Executive Council had agreed on "an accelerated programme for achieving the complete elimination of Syria's chemical weapons by mid-2014. The decision requires inspections in Syria to commence from 1 October 2013."[32]Inspectors will be given unusually broad authority, because Syria is required under the plan to provide inspectors unobstructed access to any suspected chemical weapons site, even if the Syrian government had not identified the location in its list of chemical weapons sites, and without the special procedures normally required for "Challenge Inspections" under Article IX of the convention.[5]
The Executive Council's decision further calls, "on an urgent basis," for funding by member states of the Syrian chemical weapons elimination process,[33] and stipulates that if the Director-General determines there is a delay in implementation of the Decision, the matter shall be discussed within 24 hours, on which moment also it should be considered to wether the matter should be submitted to the UN Security Council.
Implementation
Syria gave notice on 14 September 2013 that it was acceding to the Chemical Weapons Convention (provisionally applying it directly, but formally taking effect 14 October),[34] and in doing so becoming a member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This committed it in principle not to use chemical weapons, to the destruction of its chemical weapons within 10 years, and to the conversion or destruction of its chemical weapons production facilities.On 21 September 2013, Syria met the Framework's first deadline, for comprehensive chemical weapons disclosure.[4] The OPCW stated it had received and was reviewing the "expected disclosure" concerning Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles, 24 hours after stating it had received an "initial declaration" document from Syrian authorities.[35][36][37][38][39]
The OPCW has stated that its experts will use on-site inspections to verify the accuracy of the disclosure by Syria, "and will also assist in putting into place arrangements to keep the warfare materials and the relevant facilities secure until their destruction."[40]
Reactions
The Framework was received positively by France, Germany, the U.K., the European Union, China, and the Arab League. Israel, which has not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention itself, expressed cautious optimism, but was skeptical that Syria would comply.[9][41] It also led to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2118.Ali Haidar, Syria's Minister of National Reconciliation, praised the agreement as "a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends."[42] He described the agreement as removing a pretext for a U.S. attack on the country.[7] Iran also stated that the agreement had deprived the U.S. of a pretext for attacking Syria.[9][41]
Free Syrian Army General Salim Idris denounced the initiative. Referencing the Ghouta chemical attacks, he stated that "a crime against humanity has been committed, and there is not any mention [in the agreement] of accountability."[3]
Leaders of the main rebel coalition, the Syrian National Coalition, were angered that the U.S. had reversed course suddenly, after informing coalition leaders that missile strikes on Syrian government forces were imminent.[43] In addition, in the view of opposition leaders, the agreement with Russia represented a de facto admission of the Bashar al-Assad government's legitimacy, making it less likely that possible peace talks would result in his removal from power.[44]
Difficulty of implementation
The secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, Li Hong, said that both the turbulent civil war and the financial cost of chemical weapons disposal will be a heavy burden on the Syrian government, and stated that it is "unrealistic" to expect Syrian chemical weapons to be fully eliminated by 2014.[45]On September 10, 2013, Yochi Dreazen, writing in Foreign Policy, stated that the implementation of the plan would not be easy: "Taking control of Assad's enormous stores of the munitions would be difficult to do in the midst of a brutal civil war. Dozens of new facilities for destroying the weapons would have to be built from scratch or brought into the country from the U.S., and completing the job would potentially take a decade or more." The success of the plan would depend on Syria revealing 100% of its stockpile, much of which is moveable and spread across dozens of sites - and it would be difficult, particularly in civil war conditions, to verify that this had happened.[46]
See also
- International reactions to the 2013 Ghouta attacks
- Syrian civil war
- Syria and weapons of mass destruction
External links
- Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons, full text
- Q+A: plan to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons (Reuters)
References
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