Chinese envoy urges dialogue, consultation to resolve Syrian chemical weapons issue

Dialogue and consultation is the only way to resolve the Syrian chemical weapons issue, a Chinese representative said Thursday.

The latest monthly report by the director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) indicates that from Sept. 11 to 18, the OPCW Technical Secretariat conducted the ninth round of inspections of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, which China welcomes, said Sun Zhiqiang, counselor of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

"We have taken note that the Syrian government and the Technical Secretariat have begun consultations by correspondence on the declaration assessment," Sun told a UN Security Council briefing on chemical weapons issue in Syria.

China urges the OPCW Technical Secretariat to give full attention to the state parties' concerns on visa, and encourages both sides to continue the communication regarding the OPCW director-general's meeting with the Syrian foreign minister, Sun said.

The OPCW's investigation and attribution of the alleged use of chemical weapons should be strictly limited to the framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention, with compliant procedures, reliable evidence and credible conclusions, he said.

Sun expressed hope that the director-general and the Technical Secretariat will take practical measures to maintain the technical attributes of the OPCW.