From Department of Foreign Affairs
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On 27 January 2023, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) published the third report of its Investigation and Identification Team (IIT). The report addresses the use of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria, on 7 April 2018.
Responding to the publication, Micheál Martin, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, said:
"I welcome the third report of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT).
"The report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Air Force was the perpetrator of the chemical weapons attack on 7 April 2018 in Douma, Syria.
"I condemn the attack in the strongest possible terms. The report finds that over forty people were killed, and dozens more affected, by the use of these illegal and abhorrent weapons in Douma. Their use is a clear violation of international law and can constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity. I call upon Syria to cooperate fully and immediately with the OPCW, to provide real assurance to the international community that all of its chemical weapons stocks are declared and verifiably destroyed.
"Chemical weapons have no place in our world, and Ireland has been unequivocal that there can be no impunity for those who use them. It is incumbent upon the Syrian government to live up to its international legal obligations. I fully support the IIT’s findings and the vital role played by the OPCW in the global prohibition of chemical weapons. Ireland will continue our efforts to ensure accountability and to uphold the integrity of the Chemical Weapons Convention."