Russia assessed a significant development in the international process addressing chemical weapons allegations against Syria. Moscow's Permanent Mission to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced that it welcomed the political consensus reached within the organization on closing Syria's chemical weapons file.
The OPCW Executive Council, at its meeting last week, recognized the progress Syria has made in resolving issues related to its chemical file. The Council announced that, in this context, Syria's rights and privileges under the Chemical Weapons Convention have been restored.
In a statement to RIA Novosti, Russia's Permanent Mission said, "Russia welcomes the political consensus reached at the OPCW on closing Syria's 'chemical file'."
The statement also noted that there are differences of opinion among member states on how the decision will be implemented. It said some member states believe that a consistent approach should be followed in line with the mandate of the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the decisions of the organization's governing bodies. Another group of countries, it added, believes that faster action is needed, taking into account the difficult situation the Syrian Arab Republic has faced over the past decade.