OPCW Empowered to Name Perpetrators of CW Incidents

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

The OPCW operates as an imperial tool, largely serving US-led Western interests.

Since established in 1997, it's been mandated solely "to implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention…to achieve…a world…free of" CWs.

It's responsible for producing "credible and transparent" on-site inspections and forensic analysis.

It flagrantly violated its mandate time and again. Empowering it to name perpetrators of CW attacks assures unjustifiably blaming Syria with greater authority - a  scheme to bypass Russia's Security Council veto power, a step toward escalated US-led aggression rather than stepping back from the brink.

On Wednesday, during a special session of OPCW member states in the Hague, a deplorable UK-led Western proposal to let the organization assign blame for CW attacks was adopted by an 82 - 24 majority.

Four responsible amendments proposed to avoid or mitigate damage by this action were rejected.

Russia's envoy to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin blasted Britain's proposal, saying its adoption undermined the international order, stressing the Security Council alone is authorized to make judgments, improperly given to the OPCW. 

Adding judge and jury authority to its mandate veers far from its original mandate, functioning as a scientific body, not one empowered to assign guilt or make political judgments.

Russia's Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov questioned the OPCW's future with its role unjustifiably changed, further politicizing the organization - already producing highly biased pro-Western reports, corrupting the Chemical Weapons Convention's integrity.

Kalamanov said broadening the OPCW's mandate "is (dangerously) fraught with unpredictable consequences, (perhaps) lead(ing) to a collapse of the global nonproliferation regimes or even the breakdown of the whole international security system, established after World War II with the central role of the UN and its Security Council in international affairs?"

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman strongly criticized broadening OPCW powers, saying:

"As a result of political manipulation, as well as, as has became known, the direct bribery of a number of delegations and outright blackmail, the UK (US, France, Germany) and other states that are in favor of strengthening the chemical convention have managed to squeeze out its odious draft decision, which has conferred on the OPCW Technical Secretariat the powers to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria," adding:

"We consider this decision illegitimate. We have to point out that the conference of the participating states went beyond the scope of its mandate while adopting this decision."

Letting the OPCW assign blame serves US imperial interests, facilitating its war on Syria, enabling Washington to unjustifiably justify hostile actions - falsely blaming victims for high crimes committed against them.

Broadening the OPCW's mandate further politicizes the organization, its tattered credibility entirely lost.

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