THE UN RESOLUTION 2118 (2013) ON SYRIA
IT CONTAINS CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS IN THE INTRODUCTION & A 2nd
ANNEX THAT NEEDS TO BE CLARIFIED
THE 1ST PARAGRAPH OF THE
INTRODUCTION REEDS:
Deeply outraged by the use of chemical weapons on
21 August in a Damascus suburb, as concluded by a United Nations
investigation team, the Security Council this evening endorsed the expeditious
destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons programme, with inspections to begin by
1 October, and agreed that in the event of non-compliance, it would impose
“Chapter VII” measures.
THE 9TH & 10TH PARAGRAPH SAID:
In
the debate that followed, Council members praised the text for placing binding
obligations on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, requiring it to get
rid of its “tools of terror”. United States Secretary of State John Kerry
said that that regime bore the burden of meeting
the terms of the resolution.
At the
same time, Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian
Federation, emphasized that the responsibility for implementing the resolution
did not lay with Syria alone. The text had not been passed under the
Charter's Chapter VII, nor did it allow for coercive measures. It
contained requirements for all countries, especially Syria's neighbours, which
must report on moves by non-State actors to secure chemical weapons.
-----------------------------
THE RESOLUTION 2118
The full text of
Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) reads as follows:
[HERE SOME SELECTED EXTRACTS: go to the website above to read
the full text: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2013/sc11135.doc.htm]
The Security
Council,
“Reaffirming its strong commitment to the
sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab
Republic, [..]
“Deeply
outraged by the use of chemical weapons on 21 August 2013 in Rif
Damascus, as concluded in the Mission’s report, condemning the killing
of civilians that resulted from it, affirming that the use of chemical
weapons constitutes a serious violation of international law, and stressing
that those responsible for any use of chemical weapons must be held
accountable,
“Recalling
the obligation under resolution 1540 (2004) that all States shall
refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to
develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use weapons of
mass destruction, including chemical weapons and their means of delivery,
[..]
“Stressing that the only solution
to the current crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic is through an inclusive and
Syrian-led political process based on the Geneva Communiqué of
30 June 2012, and emphasising the need to convene the
international conference on Syria as soon as possible,
“Determining
that the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic constitutes a
threat to international peace and security,
“Underscoring that Member States are obligated under
Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations to accept and carry out
the Council's decisions:
“1.
Determines that the use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat
to international peace and security;
“2.
Condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the
Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on 21 August 2013, in
violation of international law;
“3.
Endorses the decision of the OPCW Executive Council
27 September 2013, which contains special procedures for the
expeditious destruction of the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons
programme and stringent verification thereof and calls for its full
implementation in the most expedient and safest manner;
“4.
Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall not use, develop, produce,
otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly
or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or non-State actors;
“5.
Underscores that no party in Syria should use, develop, produce,
acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer chemical weapons;
“6.
Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall comply with all aspects of
the decision of the OPCW Executive Council of 27 September 2013
(Annex I);
“7.
Decides that the Syrian Arab Republic shall cooperate fully with the
OPCW and the United Nations, including by complying with their relevant
recommendations, by accepting personnel designated by the OPCW or the United
Nations, by providing for and ensuring the security of activities undertaken by
these personnel, by providing these personnel with immediate and unfettered
access to and the right to inspect, in discharging their functions, any and all
sites, and by allowing immediate and unfettered access to individuals that the
OPCW has grounds to believe to be of importance for the purpose of its mandate,
and decides that all parties in Syria shall cooperate fully in this
regard;
“8.
Decides to authorize an advance team of United Nations personnel to
provide early assistance to OPCW activities in Syria, requests the
Director-General of the OPCW and the Secretary-General to closely cooperate in
the implementation of the Executive Council decision of 27 September 2013
and this resolution, including through their operational activities on the
ground, and further requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with
the Director-General of the OPCW and, where appropriate, the Director-General
of the World Health Organization, to submit to the Council within 10 days
of the adoption of this resolution recommendations regarding the role of the
United Nations in eliminating the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons
program;
“9.
Notes that the Syrian Arab Republic is a party to the Convention on the
Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, decides that
OPCW-designated personnel undertaking activities provided for in this
resolution or the decision of the OPCW Executive Council of
27 September 2013 shall enjoy the privileges and immunities contained
in the Verification Annex, Part II(B) of the Chemical Weapons Convention,
and calls on the Syrian Arab Republic to conclude modalities agreements
with the United Nations and the OPCW;
“10.
Encourages Member States to provide support, including personnel, technical
expertise, information, equipment, and financial and other resources and
assistance, in coordination with the Director-General of the OPCW and the
Secretary-General, to enable the OPCW and the United Nations to implement the
elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons programme, and decides
to authorize Member States to acquire, control, transport, transfer and
destroy chemical weapons identified by the Director-General of the OPCW,
consistent with the objective of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to ensure the
elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons programme in the
soonest and safest manner;
“11.
Urges all Syrian parties and interested Member States with relevant
capabilities to work closely together and with the OPCW and the United Nations
to arrange for the security of the monitoring and destruction mission,
recognizing the primary responsibility of the Syrian Government in this regard;
“12.
Decides to review on a regular basis the implementation in the Syrian Arab
Republic of the decision of the OPCW Executive Council of
27 September 2013 and this resolution, and requests the
Director-General of the OPCW to report to the Security Council, through the
Secretary-General, who shall include relevant information on United Nations
activities related to the implementation of this resolution, within
30 days and every month thereafter, and requests further the Director-General
of the OPCW and the Secretary-General to report in a coordinated manner, as
needed, to the Security Council, non-compliance with this resolution or the
OPCW Executive Council decision of 27 September 2013;
“13.
Reaffirms its readiness to consider promptly any reports of the OPCW
under Article VIII of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which provides for
the referral of cases of non-compliance to the United Nations Security Council;
“14.
Decides that Member States shall inform immediately the Security Council
of any violation of resolution 1540(2004), including acquisition by
non-State actors of chemical weapons, their means of delivery and related
materials in order to take necessary measures therefore;
“15.
Expresses its strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the
use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be held accountable;
“16.
Endorses fully the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012
(Annex II), which sets out a number of key steps beginning with the
establishment of a transitional governing body exercising full executive
powers, which could include members of the present Government and the
opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent;
“17.
Calls for the convening, as soon as possible, of an international
conference on Syria to implement the Geneva Communiqué, and calls upon
all Syrian parties to engage seriously and constructively at the Geneva
Conference on Syria, and underscores that they should be fully
representative of the Syrian people and committed to the implementation of the
Geneva Communiqué and to the achievement of stability and reconciliation;
“18. Reaffirms that all Member States shall refrain
from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop,
acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or
biological weapons and their means of delivery, and calls upon all
Member States, in particular Member States neighbouring the Syrian Arab Republic,
to report any violations of this paragraph to the Security Council immediately;
“19.
Demands that non-State actors not develop, acquire, manufacture,
possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and
their means of delivery, and calls upon all Member States, in particular
Member States neighbouring the Syrian Arab Republic, to report any actions
inconsistent with this paragraph to the Security Council immediately;
“21.
Decides, in the event of non-compliance with this resolution, including
unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by
anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic, to impose measures under Chapter VII
of the United Nations Charter;
“22.
Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
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IT FOLLOWS 2 ANNEXES:
Annex
I OPCW Executive Council Decision on destruction of Syrian chemical weapons
Annex II Action Group for Syria Final Communiqué 30 June
2012
“1. On 30 June 2012,
the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States,
the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of China, France, the Russian Federation, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of
America, Turkey, Iraq (Chair of the Summit of the League of Arab States),
Kuwait (Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States)
and Qatar (Chair of the Arab Follow-up Committee on Syria of the League of Arab
States) and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy met at the United Nations Office at Geneva as the Action
Group for Syria, chaired by the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and
the League of Arab States to Syria.
NOTE
IF THE PARAGRAPH 1 ABOVE is only informative of what happens
on 30 june 2012, is ok to place this annex in the UN res 2118, but if it is intending
to give to those countries any voice in the coming implementation of Res 2118,
that will destroy the spirit of peace contained in this whole Res since those
countries were involved in the destruction of
Syria after June 2012 till now.
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