New Syria government gives chemical weapons inspectors ‘unfettered access’ to former Assad regime facilities

Syria’s new authorities have shown chemical weapons inspectors locations of chemical weapons production and storage facilities, signalling the interim government’s more open and cooperative approach to integration into the international community.

According to unnamed sources cited by Reuters news agency on Friday, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had deployed a team to visit Syria earlier this month to proceed with the long-awaited aim to find remnants of the late Assad regime’s chemical weapons stockpiles.

With the visit having taken place on March 12-21, the inspectors were taken to five different locations which were previously unseen and deliberately hidden and undeclared by former Syrian authorities under ousted president Bashar al-Assad until his overthrow on 8 December.

Assad’s fall brings ‘the moment’ to rid Syria of chemical weapons

The OPCW was also granted access to information and documents on Assad’s chemical weapons programme, in what was the most revealing data to be seen by the agency throughout the past decade of its attempts to persuade the former regime to cooperate with its inspections.

According to Reuters, the OPCW stated in a summary of the visit online that “Syrian caretaker authorities extended all possible support and cooperation at short notice”, adding that the agency’s team was provided with security escorts and had “unfettered access” to sites and people.

One unnamed diplomatic source briefed on the matter was cited in the report as confirming that the development further shows that Syria’s interim government is fulfilling its guarantees made in early March to work with the international community to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons stockpile and what remains of it.

READ: Victims of chemical weapons attack gather in Damascus to demand accountability