Armed terrorist groups — including the so-called “Army of Islam” — and their supporters, financers and handlers from the Wahhabi Saudi regime, the United States administration and the colonial powers France and Britain are once again fabricating slanders, this time about the use by the Syrian Arab Army of chemical weapons in the city of Duma in eastern Ghutah. They are doing so in a shameless and failed attempt to undermine the successes achieved by the Syrian Arab Army during the past few weeks in its war against terrorism. Those successes have caused the armed terrorist groups and their handlers to become unhinged and cast about in vain for any pretext to slander the good name of the Syrian State, its army and its allied forces. Driving the armed terrorist groups out of all parts of Syria is the shared aspiration of the Syrian people, and it is being realized by the Syrian Arab Army with great determination, courage and devotion.

The Syrian Arab Republic has already warned repeatedly that armed terrorist groups might use chemical weapons and accuse the Syrian State of being the perpetrator. Over the past weeks and months, Syria has provided the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Security Council and the United Nations Secretariat with precise and documented information on attempts by terrorist groups to bring such internationally prohibited weapons into the Syrian Arab Republic. Syria has identified sites where those groups are stockpiling chemical weapons — in particular toxic chlorine — in the towns and cities of Aleppo and Idlib, and in eastern Ghutah, Duma and other places where terrorist groups still have a presence. The information that we have provided also identifies the international media agencies that, at the bidding of their handlers, have rushed to certain places in a race to be false witnesses to the alleged use of chemical weapons and accuse the Syrian Government of being the perpetrator.

The United States administration, the Wahhabi Saudi regime and the other parties supporting terrorism have issued statements that are full of lies and false and misleading claims. Those statements merely reflect the desire of those parties to save their proxies — which include the so-called “Army of Islam” and other defeated terrorist groups — and encourage them to spill more Syrian blood. They also want more illegal United States attacks on Syria, like the attack conducted by the Trump administration on the Sha‘irat airbase.

The Syrian Arab Republic reiterates that it possesses absolutely no chemical weapons of any kind, including toxic chlorine. It reiterates that it condemns the use of chemical weapons anywhere, anytime and under any circumstances. Syria reiterates that it cooperates fully with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to implement its obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.

These scenes being staged and directed by Western intelligence agencies and their proxy regimes in the region who have sold themselves, their resources and their peoples’ capacities to serve the enemies of Syria are coming too late. The Syrian Arab Army is pressing on with its war against terrorism and the terrorist organizations that are using toxic gas to kill civilians — including the children of Ghutah, Aleppo, Khan Shaykhun and Idlib — to achieve despicable ends. Our people and the peoples of the world will be fooled no longer. The terrorists’ tactic of killing innocent children with toxic gas in order to justify foreign attacks against Syria has been exposed for the cheap ruse that it is. The international community should prevent it, condemn it, and stand united against it. The Syrian Government will care for the interests of its people. It will save them from the clutches of terrorists and make sure that they are provided with the shelter, food, drink and medicine that they have been denied by the terrorist groups and their allies. To date, more than 50,000 civilians who were recently displaced from eastern Ghutah have returned to their towns and villages. The Syrian Government has ensured the return to school of more than 10,000 students who were deprived by terrorist groups of their right to education. The Syrian Arab Army is providing for the needs of families in their homes in the villages of Irbin, Siqba, Ayn Tarma and Kafr Batna in eastern Ghutah. Any allegation of chemical weapons use levelled against anybody other than the terrorist organizations and their handlers amounts to direct support for the terrorists and their crimes, and will encourage them to continue to use toxic gas against innocent Syrians. Syria calls on the United Nations, including the members of the Security Council and the Secretariat, to confront these criminals and not allow these murderers escape punishment.

I should be grateful if the present letter could be issued as a document of the Security Council.