New York: Europe and the Arabs
Yesterday, the United Nations Headquarters in New York witnessed a special event on the use of chemical weapons by the terrorist organization ISIS in Iraq, where the progress made by the investigation team to enhance accountability for crimes committed by ISIS (UNITAD) was reviewed.
According to what was stated in the United Nations news bulletin, of which we received a copy at dawn on Friday
The event shed light on the crimes of ISIS related to the development and use of weapons of mass destruction, more precisely chemical weapons during the period between 2014 and 2017.

Among the preliminary findings of the UNITAD team is that ISIS has developed at least 8 chemicals, of which at least three have been used as weapons.

This event came a day after the Team Leader and Special Adviser, Christian Richter, presented his tenth report on UNITAD's work to the Security Council, where he informed the members of what the team was able to accomplish.

Richer said that today's event comes in the context of the recently held Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He quoted from the Secretary-General's message he delivered during the conference:

"Chemical weapons are an abomination. They have no place in our world. Those responsible for any use (of these weapons) must be identified and held accountable for their crimes, in the name of the victims of these attacks, and as a deterrent to future chemical warfare."

The Special Adviser reaffirmed that the UNITAD team will spare no effort to work towards achieving this goal.

Iraq is determined to get justice for the victims
The Chargé d'Affairs, Sarhad Sardar Fattah, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq to the United Nations, also spoke at the event.

He said that the work of the UNITAD team in the investigation and collection of evidence - which has been going on for five years - clearly and shockingly illustrated the features and extent of the horrific crimes and atrocities committed by the terrorist organization ISIS against all the Iraqi people, and its use in that of all kinds of brutal means and methods in killing and torturing civilians, including the use of Chemical weapons".

He said that one of the main milestones mentioned in the UNITAD team's reports is the completion of the initial situation assessment report on the development and use of chemical and biological weapons by the terrorist organization ISIS in Iraq, "which is supposed to expand the circle of accountability and prosecution of the elements of the organization who used these weapons and worked To develop its capabilities to reach the manufacture and production of rockets, chemical mortars, chemical ammunition for rocket bombs, chemical warheads, and improvised chemical explosive devices.

He said that criminal responsibility does not rest only on those who used these prohibited weapons, but also on everyone who supported, contributed and financed such activities.

He stressed that Iraq will spare no effort to achieve justice and accountability "against all those whose hands were stained with the blood of Iraqis and for all the crimes of the terrorist organization ISIS."