Konflikten i Syrien

Canada to Grant Money for Independent OPCW Investigation in Syria

According to the Canadian Foreign Ministry press-service, the Canadian government is going to grant $1, 9 million to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

“Today’s announcement reflects Canada’s unwavering support to the Syrian people. The courageous and dedicated work of the OPCW is central to establishing the facts around chemical weapons attacks in Syria and ridding the world of these inhumane weapons”, – said Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

The Canadian Foreign Ministry also emphasized that this contribution would help OPCW to investigate chemical weapons incidents and collect evidence in support of accountability and verify that Syria’s chemical weapons program has been completely eliminated.

Let us remind you, that on the eve the OPCW presented a report, confirming the use of sarin or other poisonous substance similar to sarin during a chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun on April 4. The U.S. blamed the Syrian government in the chemical attack. In its turn, the official Damascus rejected accusations and laid the blame on the militants.

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As has been the case so often in his professional life, Hersh was harshly criticized for his most recent stories about Syria, about Obama, and about bin Laden. Many say he goes too far and relies too heavily on anonymous sources. Crucially, though, no source who is actively working for a government can reveal classified information “on the record” without incurring considerable personal risk. That holds true in Germany as well.

As has always been his practice, Hersh has told Welt am Sonntag the identities of all the sources he quotes anonymously in his story about Trump's retaliatory strike against Syria. The paper was thus able to speak independently to the central source in the U.S.

According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Syrian citizens were exposed to sarin, a chemical weapon, in April of 2017 in the Khan Shaykhun area of Syria. The OPCW didn’t visit the site of the attack, but they did interview people and examine materials that came from the area.

The OPCW did not say who was responsible for the Sarin exposure. That wasn’t their job.

Ambassador Nikki Haley put out a press release saying the OPCW report is “… concluding that the chemical weapon sarin or a sarin-like substance was used in the attack.”

Notice Haley’s replacement of “sarin” from the OPCW report with “sarin or a sarin-like substance” for her press release. That’s a tell. It means Haley has some reason to be skeptical that sarin was involved. If the OPCW is willing to call it sarin, why hedge?