UN Syria meet: India warns of chemical weapons use

Addressing the threat of "chemical weapons use" in Syria at UNSC, Pratik Mathur, Counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to United Nations said that India has been cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons.

"India has also been repeatedly cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons, including in the region," the envoy said, He said that India encourages continued engagement between Syria and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Technical Secretariat to resolve the outstanding issues.

Notably, in 2018, OPCW Technical Secretariat was tasked with new responsibilities including investigating and identifying the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian Arab Republic.

"India is against the use of chemical weapons by anybody, anywhere, at any time, and under any circumstances. India has consistently maintained that any investigation into the use of chemical weapons must be impartial, credible, and objective," he added.

Envoy Mathur continued saying, "The reports of UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh (UNITAD) have also referred to the repeated deployments of chemical weapons by UN proscribed terrorist groups and those affiliated with ISIL against civilian population between 2014 and 2016."

(ANI)