Discurso do Brasil nas consultas do Conselho de Segurança sobre o Oriente Médio (Síria) - 5 de janeiro de 2022 (texto em inglês)
Madam President,
Since this is the first time I am addressing the Council on this matter, I would like to reiterate Brazil’s firm commitment to the work of the OPCW. Brazil condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the use of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, anywhere, by anyone, under any circumstances. We therefore support a strong, transparent and independent OPCW.
The Chemical Weapons Convention is the gold standard for multilateral regimes on weapons of mass destruction. It has established a comprehensive, legally binding and non-discriminatory prohibition, and is equipped with a fully-fledged and effective verification mechanism. It is unfortunate that even with this institutional apparatus in place we still observe the use of chemical weapons in different regions of the world.
This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the CWC by the Conference on Disarmament. May this milestone give rise to a recommitment by States Parties to the objectives of the Convention, as well as to a strengthening of its verification mechanism, in order to ensure its unequivocal impartiality.
I would also like to reiterate Brazil’s strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. We are convinced that there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict, and we reaffirm our resolve to advance a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated political process in line with Resolution 2254 (2015).
Madam President,
Chemical weapons are utterly incompatible with international humanitarian law and, therefore, must have no place in the practices and doctrines of today’s world. The use of such weapons violates international agreements and poses serious threats to international peace and security. Incidents must be addressed with transparency and be subject to thorough and impartial investigations, in accordance with the CWC. It is our view that the role of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW in clarifying these incidents is irreplaceable. Its capacity to do so must be protected and, where necessary, continuously improved.
The use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic constitutes the first proven use of weapons of mass destruction in the 21st century. This dreadful reality represents a major setback in the international commitment to the principles of IHL. For the past few years, Brazil has thoroughly analyzed the reports issued by the Fact Finding Mission (FFM), the OPCW-UN Joint-Investigative Mechanism (JIM) and the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) on episodes related to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Given the gravity of the facts, we reiterate that all investigations pertaining to those incidents must be impartial, balanced, technical and comprehensive.
Madam President,
It is also important to note that, while Brazil supported the adoption of decision C-25/DEC.9, during the 25th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the CWC, it did so in the expectation that the application of the measures provided for therein would contribute to reverting Syria’s state of non-compliance with the Convention. We continue to advocate for the need to restore trust between the Organization and the Syrian Arab Republic, which would constitute a fundamental step towards overcoming the regrettable politicization that has undermined the culture of consensus within the OPCW and its decision-making bodies.
Brazil welcomes recent efforts made by both the OPCW Director-General and the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates to have an in person meeting. This is the kind of constructive approach that helps build confidence and paves the way for the consolidation of a comprehensive and effective dialogue. We also welcome the extension of the Tripartite Agreement among the Syrian Arab Republic, the OPCW and UNOPS, which facilitates the Organization’s mandated activities in Syria.
Finally, we encourage the Syrian government to provide full access to the OPCW expert teams, including by issuing the necessary visas. Once travel restrictions worldwide begin to be lifted, we look forward to the deployment of further on-site inspections, which could help advance a conclusion to the Syrian file.
I thank you, Madam President.