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OPCW chiefs accused of hypocrisy and ignoring Turkey’s alleged gassing of Kurds

ORGANISATION for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) chiefs have been accused of hypocrisy for ignoring the gassing of Kurds as they commemorated the victims of chemical attacks today.

Campaigners blasted the chemical watchdog for its “stubborn refusal” to acknowledge reports that Turkey has used banned munitions in Iraqi Kurdistan, accusing the OPCW of being “a tool of imperialism.”

“The OPCW must not turn its back on the Kurds as they plea for their lives in Iraqi Kurdistan,” the Coalition Against Chemical Weapons in Kurdistan said today.

“It must listen to the many calls for investigations into Turkey’s war crimes and attempted genocide of the Kurdish people,” a spokesperson said.

“The whole world condemned the gassing of Kurds in Halabja in 1988, a crime that could have been prevented had action been taken earlier. We must not make the same mistakes again.”

Representatives of 193 OPCW member states are gathered in the Hague for its annual conference to review progress in implementing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and plan strategy for the coming year.

This morning, director-general Fernando Arias expressed solidarity as the organisation marked the Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare.

But Kurdish organisations said that this was a hollow statement when the OPCW ignores nearly 40 resistance fighters that have been killed in alleged chemical attacks during Turkey’s illegal six-month war.

The Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) said that it places great importance on the OPCW meeting and is following proceedings closely.

“For decades, the Turkish state has been using chemical weapons against the civilian population and the resisting guerilla forces in Kurdistan.

“Since April 23 of this year, Turkey has massively increased the use of these banned weapons as part of its occupation attacks on South Kurdistan (North Iraq).

“It has used chemical weapons daily there  — more than 300 such attacks have been officially confirmed,” it said in a statement.

The umbrella organisation said that numerous international appeals have been made to the OPCW, the United Nations and other bodies but none of the institutions has responded.

The KNK said that they must take the reports seriously and urged them to immediately send a delegation of experts to the affected region to carry out investigations.

“If the OPCW were to ignore its responsibility to protect all people against chemical weapons, it would violate its own regulations and seriously harms the credibility of the CWC,” it said.

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