Chemical weapons inspectors were granted access by Syria’s interim authorities to previously undisclosed production and storage sites linked to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted three months ago, sources revealed on Friday.
A team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) conducted a visit to Syria from March 12-21 to prepare for efforts to locate and dismantle the remnants of Assad’s illegal chemical weapons stockpile. Inspectors visited five locations, some of which had been looted or bombed.
Among these sites were locations not previously disclosed to the OPCW by the Assad government, according to the sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. The inspectors were provided with access to documents and detailed information about Assad’s chemical weapons program.
“The Syrian caretaker authorities extended all possible support and cooperation on short notice,” the OPCW said in a statement summarizing the visit. The agency noted that inspectors were provided with security escorts and “unfettered access” to sites and personnel, although no further details were shared publicly.
This cooperation marks a significant shift in relations, as it contrasts sharply with the previous decade, during which Assad’s government obstructed OPCW efforts to investigate the use of chemical weapons.
The visit suggests that Syria’s interim authorities are honoring their pledge to work with the international community to eliminate any remaining chemical weapons, according to a diplomatic source familiar with the matter.
The destruction of these weapons is a key condition set by the United States for potential sanctions relief, as reported by Reuters earlier this week.
Three separate investigations—conducted by a joint U.N.-OPCW mechanism, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification team, and a U.N. war crimes inquiry—concluded that Syrian government forces under Assad used chemical agents, including sarin and chlorine barrel bombs, in attacks that resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries during the civil war.
While Assad and his Russian military backers have consistently denied using chemical weapons, the conflict, which began in 2011, has left hundreds of thousands dead.
Syria, under Assad’s leadership, joined the OPCW in a 2013 U.S.-Russia agreement following a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds. Since then, approximately 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors have been destroyed.
Despite this, OPCW experts believe there are still undeclared chemical weapon stocks and are seeking access to over 100 locations where they are believed to have been produced or stored. The OPCW is preparing to open a field office in Syria amid rising security concerns driven by a recent uptick in violence.
The OPCW, based in The Hague and comprising 193 member countries, is responsible for enforcing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.