Archive: syria

By: Brian Whitaker
Recently-leaked documents disprove claims by a whistleblower that the OPCW doctored a draft report of its investigation into a suspected chemical attack in Syria. They also cast doubt on claims that the views of staff were systematically ignored. They do, however, confirm a dispute… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
A document released by WikiLeaks on Saturday shows that two key allegations reportedly made by the OPCW whistleblower are untrue. The whistleblower, known as "Alex", first surfaced at a closed meeting in Brussels two months ago. He claims there were "irregularities" in the OPCW's investigation… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
Last October a whistleblower emerged from inside the OPCW alleging "irregularities" in its investigation of a suspected chemical weapons attack in the Syrian city of Douma. The whistleblower was said to have supporting evidence in the form of text messages, emails and "suppressed" draft reports but… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
A new team to identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks in Syria is now "fully operational", the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced last week. However, the creation of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) has already caused a rift within… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
After a lengthy silence the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has revealed some interesting new details about a controversial internal document that surfaced recently on the internet. The document in question was an “engineering assessment” relating to the OPCW’s… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has now published a response to Russian and Syrian criticisms of the investigative work done by its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). On 1 March, the FFM issued a report which found “reasonable grounds” for believing a toxic chemical had… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
In an unusual move, Russia has sent the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons a detailed critique of its recent report on an alleged chemical attack in Syria. In March, after a lengthy investigation, the OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) issued a report which found “reasonable… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
Syria is resisting efforts by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks and has refused a visa for the head of its investigative team, al-bab has learned. The Syrian deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, has written to… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
New details have emerged regarding claims that investigators from the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) “suppressed evidence” in their report of an alleged chemical attack in Syria. In March, after a lengthy investigation, the OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) issued a report… Read more
By: Brian Whitaker
The United States is threatening a "strong, swift response" to what it describes as "signs that the Assad regime may be renewing its use of chemical weapons" against rebels in north-west Syria. Last Friday, Jonathan Cohen, the acting US representative at the United Nations, warned: "The… Read more