Politics
Jamaica joins CARICOM countries in supporting Syria agreement
Jamaica is joining its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member countries, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, in supporting the agreement reached between the United States and Russia regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
The Simpson-Miller administration said that it is supportive of the “positive developments which have occurred in relation to the situation in Syria and calls on all parties involved to move towards quick implementation of the Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons agreed by the USA and Russia.
“Jamaica has always advocated for a resolution of the situation in Syria through dialog and consultation,” it said, adding that the recent agreement “is therefore a positive and welcome development, as acting through the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), it will allow for a structured dismantling of the use of chemical weapons in Syria through destruction and verification of these weapons.
After days of intense negotiations, the United States and Russia over the weekend announced they had reached agreement on a framework to secure and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons by mid-2014 and impose U.N. penalties if the government fails to comply.
The deal includes what Washington called “a shared assessment” of the weapons stockpile, and a timetable and measures for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to follow so that the full inventory can be identified and seized.
The U.S. and Russia agreed to immediately press for a U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrines the chemical weapons agreement under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which can authorize both the use of force and non-military measures.
Jamaica said it also welcomed the decision taken by Syria to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the commitment given to provisionally apply the Convention prior to its entry into force.
“We note that action under the Framework is to be reinforced by a decision of the United Nations Security Council which will also allow for a verification process, effective implementation, review on a regular basis, and, provide a role for the UN Secretary-General in consultation with the OPCW, to submit reports to the Security Council on an expedited basis, regarding the UN’s role in eliminating chemical weapons in Syria.”
Kingston said that such action bolsters the involvement of the multilateral system in dealing with the situation in Syria and is in keeping with Jamaica’s position on this matter. But Jamaica said while it welcomed the recent positive developments, it “remains deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in Syria and the mounting toll it is taking in relation to civilian casualties and the displacement of large numbers of persons.
“We therefore call on the international community to pursue efforts to arrive at a durable and sustainable solution.” -(CMC)