OPCW Says France Donated $1.2 Mln To Support Organization's Missions In Syria

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2021) The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Monday it received a 1 million euro ($1.2 million) voluntary contribution from France in support of its activities in Syria.

"The Government of France is contributing ��1M toward supporting the activities of the Trust Fund for Syria Missions at the OPCW," the organization's statement read.

The funds will go to the Declaration Assessment Team and the Fact-Finding Mission, whose aim is to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria and fully eliminate "the Syrian Chemical Weapons Programme," according to the statement.

The 25th Session of the OPCW Conference in The Hague last month, France presented a draft resolution calling for the suspension of Syria's rights and privileges in the organization due to the alleged violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Members of the organization adopted the resolution by a majority vote.

Russian OPCW envoy Alexander Shulgin told Sputnik that the decision was passed through member states by means of rigging facts, blackmailing and "twisting arms" of some countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, which seek "to remove the government of [Syrian President] Bashar Assad, which they hate, from the political arena."

The Syrian authorities have firmly denied the use of poisonous substances in the country and rejected the related reports conducted by OPCW as "fabricated."