Bashar al Assad’s government, whose documented use of chemical weapons against its own citizens remains the most serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the treaty’s twenty-year history, will preside over the UN Conference on Disarmament forum in Geneva from May 28 until June 24, replacing Switzerland.
That’s because the presidency rotates among members on an alphabetical basis, and they’ve already done Satan.
US Ambassador at the forum Robert Wood told reporters his delegation would stage a walkout in protest at Syria’s presidency. “We are going to walk out at some point this morning and we will be taking other actions that you will see over the course of Syria’s presidency, so please stay tuned,” Wood said.
Wood added: “The Damascus regime has neither the credibility nor moral authority to preside over the CD. The international community must not be silent.”
The British Foreign Office issued a statement saying: “The UK deplores the fact that Syria will assume the presidency of the Conference on Disarmament, given the regime’s consistent and flagrant disregard of international non-proliferation and disarmament norms and agreements.”
“Having the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad preside over global chemical and nuclear weapons disarmament is like putting a serial rapist in charge of a women’s shelter,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch.