OPCW Executive Council

Thirty-Third Meeting EC-M-33/DEC.1

27 September 2013 27 September 2013
Original: ENGLISH

DECISION

DESTRUCTION OF SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS

The Executive Council,

Recalling that following its Thirty-Second Meeting, 27 March 2013, the Chairperson of the
Executive Council (hereinafter "the Council") issued a statement (EC-M-32/2/Rev.1, dated
27 March 2013) expressing “deep concern that chemical weapons may have been used in the
Syrian Arab Republic,” and underlining that “the use of chemical weapons by anyone under
any circumstances would be reprehensible and completely contrary to the legal norms and
standards of the international community”;

Recalling also that the Third Review Conference (RC-3/3*, 19 April 2013) expressed “deep
concern that chemical weapons may have been used in the Syrian Arab Republic and
underlined that use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances would be
reprehensible and completely contrary to the legal norms and standards of the international
community”;

Noting the “Report on the Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons in the Ghouta area of
Damascus on 21 August 2013,” (S/2013/553, dated 16 September 2013) prepared by the
United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the
Syrian Arab Republic, dated 13 September 2013, which concludes that “chemical weapons
have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also
against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale”;

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons;

Welcoming the Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons agreed upon by the
United States and the Russian Federation on 14 September 2013 (EC-M-33/NAT.1, dated
17 September 2013);

Noting also that on 12 September 2013, in its communication to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations, the Syrian Arab Republic notified its intention to apply the Convention on
the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons
and on their Destruction (hereinafter “the Convention”) provisionally;

CS-2013-8056(E) distributed 28/09/2013 *CS-2013-8056.E*

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Noting further that on 14 September 2013, the Syrian Arab Republic deposited with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations its instrument of accession to the Convention and
declared that it shall comply with its stipulations and observe them faithfully and sincerely,
applying the Convention provisionally pending its entry into force for the Syrian Arab
Republic, which was notified to all States Parties by the depositary on the same date
([Link]-XXVI.3), and taking into account that the depositary received no
communications to the contrary from the States Parties with regard to this declaration;

Noting further that the Convention enters into force for the Syrian Arab Republic on
14 October 2013;

Recognising the extraordinary character of the situation posed by Syrian chemical weapons
and determined to ensure that the activities necessary for the destruction of the Syrian
chemical weapons programme start immediately pending the formal entry into force of the
Convention with respect to the Syrian Arab Republic, and are conducted in the most rapid
and safe manner;

Recognising also the invitation of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to receive
immediately a technical delegation from the OPCW and to cooperate with the OPCW in
accordance with the provisional application of the Convention prior to its entry into force for
the Syrian Arab Republic, and noting the designation by the Syrian Arab Republic to the
Technical Secretariat (hereinafter "the Secretariat") of its National Authority;

Emphasising that the provisional application of the Convention gives immediate effect to its
provisions with respect to the Syrian Arab Republic;

Noting further that the Syrian Arab Republic submitted on 19 September 2013 the detailed
information, including names, types, and quantities of its chemical weapons agents, types of
munitions, and location and form of storage, production, and research and development
facilities;

Noting further that pursuant to paragraph 36 of Article VIII of the Convention, the Council,
following its consideration of doubts or concerns regarding compliance and cases of
non-compliance, shall, in cases of particular gravity and urgency, bring the issue or matter,
including relevant information and conclusions, directly to the attention of the United Nations
General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council;

Taking into account the Agreement Concerning the Relationship between the United
Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of 17 October 2000;

Strongly urging all remaining States not Party to the Convention to ratify or accede to it as a
matter of urgency and without preconditions, in the interests of enhancing their own national
security as well as contributing to global peace and security; and

Recalling that, pursuant to paragraph 8 of Article IV and paragraph 10 of Article V of the

Convention, a State acceding to the Convention after 2007 shall destroy its chemical weapons
and its chemical weapons production facilities as soon as possible, and the Council shall
determine the “order of destruction and procedures for stringent verification” of such
destruction;
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Hereby:

1. Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall:

(a) not later than 7 days after the adoption of this decision, submit to the
Secretariat further information, to supplement that provided on
19 September 2013, on the chemical weapons as defined in paragraph 1 of
Article II of the Convention that the Syrian Arab Republic owns or possesses,
or has under its jurisdiction or control, in particular:

(i) the chemical name and military designator of each chemical in its
chemical weapons stockpile, including precursors and toxins, and
quantities thereof;

(ii) the specific type of munitions, sub-munitions and devices in its

chemical weapons stockpile, including specific quantities of each type
that are filled and unfilled; and

(iii) the location of all of its chemical weapons, chemical weapons storage
facilities, chemical weapons production facilities, including mixing
and filling facilities, and chemical weapons research and development
facilities, providing specific geographic coordinates;

(b) not later than 30 days after the adoption of this decision, submit to the
Secretariat the declaration required by Article III of the Convention;

(c) complete the elimination of all chemical weapons material and equipment in
the first half of 2014, subject to the detailed requirements, including
intermediate destruction milestones, to be decided by the Council not later
than 15 November 2013;

(d) complete as soon as possible and in any case not later than 1 November 2013,
the destruction of chemical weapons production and mixing/filling equipment;

(e) cooperate fully with all aspects of the implementation of this decision,
including by providing the OPCW personnel with the immediate and
unfettered right to inspect any and all sites in the Syrian Arab Republic; and

(f) designate an official as the main point of contact for the Secretariat and
provide him or her with the authority necessary to ensure that this decision is
fully implemented.

2. Decides further that the Secretariat shall:

(a) make available to all States Parties, within five days of its receipt, any
information or declaration referred to in this decision, which shall be handled
in accordance with the Annex to the Convention on the Protection of
Confidential Information;

(b) as soon as possible and in any case not later than 1 October 2013, initiate
inspections in the Syrian Arab Republic pursuant to this decision;
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(c) inspect not later than 30 days after the adoption of this decision, all facilities
contained in the list referred to in paragraph 1(a) above;

(d) inspect as soon as possible any other site identified by a State Party as having
been involved in the Syrian chemical weapons programme, unless deemed
unwarranted by the Director-General, or the matter resolved through the
process of consultations and cooperation;

(e) be authorised to hire, on a short-term basis, qualified inspectors and other

technical experts and to rehire, on a short-term basis, inspectors, other
technical experts, and such other personnel as may be required whose term of
service has recently expired, in order to ensure efficient and effective
implementation of this decision in accordance with paragraph 44 of Article
VIII of the Convention; and

(f) report to the Council on a monthly basis on implementation of this decision

including progress achieved by the Syrian Arab Republic in meeting the
requirements of this decision and the Convention, activities carried out by the
Secretariat with respect to the Syrian Arab Republic, and its needs for any
supplementary resources, particularly technical and personnel resources.

3. Decides further:

(a) to consider, on an urgent basis, the funding mechanisms for activities carried
out by the Secretariat with respect to the Syrian Arab Republic, and to call
upon all States Parties in a position to do so to provide voluntary contributions
for activities carried out in the implementation of this decision;

(b) to meet within 24 hours if the Director-General reports delay by the Syrian
Arab Republic in meeting the requirements of this decision or the Convention,
including, inter alia, the cases referred to in paragraph 7 of Part II of the
Annex to the Convention on Implementation and Verification, or a lack of
cooperation in the Syrian Arab Republic or another problem that has arisen
with regard to the implementation of this decision and at that meeting to
consider whether to bring the matter, including relevant information and
conclusions, to the attention of the United Nations Security Council in
accordance with paragraph 36 of Article VIII of the Convention;

(c) to remain seized of the matter; and

(d) to recognise that this decision is made due to the extraordinary character of the
situation posed by Syrian chemical weapons and does not create any precedent
for the future.

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