Head of UN chemical weapons watchdog meets Syrian leader

DAMASCUS: The head of the world’s chemical weapons watchdog met Syria’s new leader Saturday, in a first visit to Damascus since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, who was repeatedly accused of using such weapons during Syria’s 13-year civil war.

More than a decade ago, Syria agreed to hand over its declared stockpile for destruction, but the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has always been concerned that the declaration was incomplete and that more weapons remained. With new authorities now in power, the OPCW visit has raised hope Syria will be conclusively rid of such weapons after years of delays and obstructions to the body’s work.

“This visit marks a reset. After eleven years of obstruction by the previous authorities, the Syrian caretaker authorities have a chance to turn the page,” OPCW chief Fernando Arias said.

The Syrian presidency said interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani had received a delegation from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons led by Arias. The presidency also shared pictures of Sharaa and Shaibani shaking hands with Arias. “For over a decade, Syria’s chemical weapons dossier was at a deadlock. Today, we must seize this opportunity together and break that impasse for the good of the Syrian people and the international community,” Arias said, according to a statement from the watchdog.