US envoy hails Syria's restoration of rights at chemical weapons body

US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Friday welcomed the restoration of Syria's rights and privileges at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). "Congratulations to Syria on the restoration of its rights and privileges at the OPCW — a meaningful milestone," Barrack said in a post on the social media platform X, adding that the decision reflected the "remarkable progress" made by Syria's new government and its commitment to engaging responsibly with the international community, according to Anadolu Agency.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also welcomed the development on Thursday, calling the decision "a historic step" that underscores Syria's restored international standing. "In a historic step reflecting Syria's restored international position, the Syrian Arab Republic today regained all of its rights and privileges in the OPCW by unprecedented consensus among member states," al-Shaibani wrote on X, thanking the country's diplomatic mission in The Hague and all member states for their support while giving special thanks to Qatar for its pivotal role in securing the outcome.

Chemical weapons convention

Syria joined the OPCW on Sept. 13, 2013, following the Aug. 21, 2013 chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiyat al-Sham near Damascus that killed more than 1,400 civilians, including hundreds of women and children. Later that month, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2118, leading to a joint OPCW-UN mission that oversaw the destruction of Syria's declared chemical weapons stockpile by August 2014.

Subsequent OPCW investigations concluded that the Assad regime continued to use chemical weapons, including sarin and chlorine, in attacks such as those in Ltamenah in March 2017 and Saraqib in February 2018. In response, OPCW member states voted in April 2021 to suspend some of Syria's rights and privileges within the organization. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in November 2025, Syria reactivated its permanent mission to the OPCW in The Hague and appointed Mohammad Katoub as its permanent representative.