The Director-General has circulated to States Parties three reports submitted to him by the OPCW Fact Finding Mission (FFM).
The FFM had been tasked to look into three separate sets of incidents in which the use of toxic chemicals in the Syrian Arab Republic had been reported. Based on information provided by the government of the Syrian Arab Republic that its soldiers had sustained casualties from the use of toxic chemicals, an FFM team conducted three deployments to Syria.
This team has issued an interim report which details its analysis of an incident reported to have occurred in Jobar on 29 August. Based on the available evidence regarding this incident, the FFM could not confidently determine that a chemical was used as a weapon.
A second FFM team investigated allegations of use of toxic chemicals in the month of March 2015 in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. Based on the analysis of information and evidence available to it, the FFM concluded that the alleged incidents likely involved the use of one or more toxic chemicals – including chlorine – as a weapon.
The OPCW FFM has also investigated an incident on 21 August in which a non-state actor had allegedly used a chemical weapon in the town of Marea, close to Allepo. The FFM collected samples and interviewed two individuals affected by exposure, and the treating physicians. In this case, the team was able to confirm with utmost confidence that at least two people were exposed to sulfur mustard, and that it is very likely that the effects of this chemical weapon resulted in the death of an infant.
The FFM might conduct further deployments to look into any additional credible information made available by the Syrian government or others. In accordance with the established practice, the Director-General will attach these FFM reports to his next monthly report to be submitted to the UN Security Council through the Secretary-General.
