UNSC meet: India once again bats against use of chemical weapons; urges Syria to mend ways

India is against the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances and has consistently maintained that any probe into the use of such weapons must be impartial, credible and objective, said Pratik Mathur, Counsellor in Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, while speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria on Wednesday.

Highlighting the necessity of being vigilant against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons, Mathur also called on the UNSC to remain cognizant of the dangers of chemical weapons to the mass.

"India has been repeatedly cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons," Mathur said at the Council.

Noting reports of the use of chemical weapons by Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Syria, Mathur called on the leaders of the war-torn nation to work constructively with the organisation towards resolving relevant issues expeditiously.

He also informed, "India attaches high importance to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and stands for its full implementation."

Mathur also acknowledged the collective efforts of the participating nations to ensure that the "credibility and integrity" of the convention is maintained.

"India is against the use of chemical weapons by anybody, anywhere, at any time & under any circumstances. We've consistently maintained that any probe into use of chemical weapons must be impartial, credible & objective," Prathik Mathur, Counsellor in Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations said at the UNSC meeting on Syria.

India reiterates stance on use of chemical weapons

Mathur's assertions come two months after India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, R. Ravindra had said in the September UNSC meeting on Syria that the country is against the use of chemical weapons under all circumstances and called for an objective investigation into those who engage in usage.

Appreciating the CWC, Ravindra had also acknowledged that it is a unique non-discriminatory instrument for the elimination of the entire category of weapons capable of mass destruction. It is to be noted that, India has provided $1 million to the OPCW Trust Fund for activities relating to the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria, Ravindra had said in March, as quoted by ANI.

This came after India's Permanent Representative to the UN, TS Tirumurti in August had cautioned the council against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals laying hands on chemical weapons. "Since he joined the council in January this year, India has been repeatedly cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons," the envoy to UN had said.

(With ANI inputs) 

(Image: ANI/Shutterstock)