Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 April 2018
110. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 188 of 17 April 2018, the information he referred to from the OPCW investigation that had relevance to apportioning responsibility for the poisoning of persons (details supplied) to the Russian Government. [17984/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the United Kingdom invited the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to independently verify their analysis of the toxic chemical used in the Salisbury attack.
The UK requested the assistance of the OPCW under Article VIII, Subparagraph 38(e) of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which provides for the Technical Secretariat to provide technical assistance and technical evaluation to States Parties in the implementation of the provisions of this Convention, including evaluation of scheduled and unscheduled chemicals.
Following the deployment of an expert team to the UK and subsequent analysis of samples, the OPCW confirmed the findings of the UK government relating to the identity of the toxic chemical used in the Salisbury attack. The OPCW was tasked with identifying the chemical, not with attributing its origin or ascertaining blame for the poisoning.
I would like to reiterate that the use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic chemicals as weapons, by anyone, anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstances is absolutely unacceptable. The use of these weapons threatens to weaken the long-established universal norm against their use, while serving to embolden those who wish to undermine all that has been achieved since the establishment of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
I fully support the work of the OPCW and recognise and greatly appreciate their continued professionalism, integrity, expertise and tireless commitment to supporting the international community in our determination to ensure that the universal norm against the use of chemical weapons is upheld.
