OPCW mission visits 2nd site of suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Wednesday that its fact-finding mission’s team is Syria visited a second location in Douma to gather facts in connection with the reported use of chemical weapons there. The team collected samples at the site, and they will be brought back, together with other samples, to the OPCW laboratory in Rijswik. They will be split and dispatched for analysis by the OPCW designated labs, according to the statement. The mission was deployed to Damascus on 14 April. The OPCW Technical Secretariat was informed by the Russian delegation that it will organize a briefing for member states in The Hague on 26 April and bring some Syrians “to speak about the reported Douma incident.” The secretariat had advised the delegation that these persons should first be interviewed by the fact-finding mission. The OPCW said its team in Syria “will continue to carry out its independent and impartial mission” based on interviews with relevant people, its findings from the site visits and analysis of the sample results.