9 January 2022

US will also discuss with Russia issues not reflected in Moscow’s draft documents (Tass)

The United States is going to discuss with Russia not only the issues raised by Moscow, but also security issues that were not included in the Russian proposals, a high-ranking US administration official told reporters on Saturday ahead of the upcoming Russian-American security talks. Such discussion topics include use of chemical weapons.

7 January 2022

Presidential Proclamation To Modify The Harmonized Tariff Schedules of The United States (JD Supra)

This month a number of new and revised tariff provisions in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”) will take effect. The 2022 HTSUS introduces new subheadings covering various controlled goods, such as chemicals controlled under the Chemical Weapons Convention, hazardous chemicals controlled under the Rotterdam Convention, and certain persistent organic pollutants controlled under the Stockholm Convention. 

6 January 2022

As ISIL remains active in Syria, allegations of chemical weapons use need to be dealt with utmost attention: India (ThePrint)

With ISIL remaining active in Syria and seeking to rebuild its combat capabilities, India has stressed that allegations of the use of chemical weapons need to be dealt with utmost attention, as New Delhi cautioned against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons.

6 January 2022

Chinese envoy calls for objectivity in Syria chemical weapons issue (Xinhua)

A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for respecting the Chemical Weapons Convention, particularly as it relates to Syria. China also hopes that the OPCW Technical Secretariat and the OPCW director-general will uphold objectivity and impartiality and pursue unity and cooperation among states parties over division and confrontation, he added.

5 January 2022

UAE calls for scrapping Syria’s chemical weapons at UN debut (The National)

Mr Abushahab, the UAE’s deputy ambassador to the UN, said that chemical weapons in Syria should be destroyed before they fall into the hands of armed extremists like ISIS or criminal gangs. His address to the chamber in New York marked the UAE’s debut at the UN’s top table after it commenced its two-year term on the Security Council at the start of the New Year.

5 January 2022

Switzerland: Government adopts a partial revision of the Chemicals Control Ordinance (Lexology)

In addition to the ban on chemical weapons, the CWC contains an extensive declaration and inspection system for the production, processing and consumption, as well as trade in (dual-use) chemicals that can be misused for the manufacture of chemical weapons. In Switzerland, the Goods Control Act (GCA) forms the legal basis for the implementation of the CWC. The corresponding implementing regulations are contained in the Chemicals Control Ordinance (ChCO). On 17 September 2021, the Federal Council adopted a partial revision of the ChCO, which entered into force on 1 November 2021.

5 January 2022

Speech: Uniting to stop the proliferation of chemical weapons in Syria (Gov.UK)

“In 2022, let us put aside narrow political motivations, stop the proliferation of chemical weapons and unite behind the full implementation of resolution 2118, including the verified complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons programme and holding accountable those responsible for their use. Only then will we be able to stop chemical weapons proliferation and send a message that their use is unacceptable.”

5 January 2022

West: Syria must answer 20 questions on its chemical weapons (The Washington Post)

Western nations accused Syria on Wednesday of refusing for eight years to clear up 20 outstanding issues about its undeclared research, production and possible weaponization of unknown quantities of chemical weapons.