Chemical watchdog defends Syria's Douma attack report

Residents fleeing after an air strike was carried out by the Assad regime in Douma, Syria [Samir Tatin/Anadolu Agency]

The head of a global chemical weapons watchdog on Monday said he stands by a report on an alleged attack in Syria’s Douma last year despite a leaked document raising questions over it, reports Anadolu Agency.

Chemical attack on Syria - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

Chemical attack in Syria – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

An email by an Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigator claimed that the redacted version of the report “misrepresented” the facts, according to Wikileaks.

OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias, speaking at the institution’s annual meeting in The Hague commented on the claims, saying: “It is in the nature of any thorough inquiry for individuals in a team to express subjective views.”

READ: France says Russia obstructing OPCW experts’ access to site of Douma attack

“While some of these diverse views continue to circulate in some public discussion forums, I would like to reiterate that I stand by the independent, professional conclusion [of the investigation],” he added.

The OPCW had concluded that chlorine was used in the April 2018 attack allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime.

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