President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces Anas al-Abdah has demanded holding Bashar Assad’s regime accountable for the chemical attacks against the Hama countryside in 2017.
In a letter to Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, he cited this month’s report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which confirmed the regime’s responsibility for three chemical attacks against Latamneh.
"Attacks of such a strategic nature would have only taken place on the basis of orders from the higher authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic military command,” said the report.
Abdah added that the regime did not hand over its entire cache of chemical weapons as it has continued to use them in the conflict. He stressed the need to enforce fair accountability mechanisms and prevent any possibility of normalizing ties with the regime.
The regime did not abide by any of the articles of the Arab League proposal, put forward nine years ago, Abdah said. This has led to the death, arrest, disappearance and displacement of millions of Syrians as well as the destruction of millions of homes, vital facilities, infrastructure and the human heritage in Syria, he added.
Moreover, Abdah called on the Arab League to support the enforcement of Article 21 of UN Security Council resolution 2118, which stipulates the imposition of measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in the event of non-compliance with the resolution, including the transfer and use of chemical weapons in Syria.
He also called for supporting immediate accountability measures for those involved, especially the highest echelons of the Assad regime. He also called for supporting the political transition through the full implementation of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) and the Geneva Communique of 2012.
