Syria says it asked to join international anti-chemical weapons partnership

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria says it had requested to join the International Partnership Against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons on the anniversary of a 2013 chemical attack on a suburb of the capital Damascus.

In a joint statement with France, Syria announces its bid to join the partnership of dozens of countries, launched by Paris in January 2018, a day after reports of another chemical weapons attack in an area held by rebels fighting against former ruler Bashar al-Assad.

France welcomes the step as “a clear demonstration of Syria’s commitment to strengthening accountability and justice and combating impunity” following its more than decade-long civil war.

In August 2013, the Syrian army under Assad was accused of using chemical weapons to target areas then under rebel control.

According to US intelligence and rights groups, more than 1,400 men, women and children died as a result.

With Syria at the height of its civil war, the Assad government denied responsibility, but agreed to hand over its chemical arsenal in order to avert US strikes.

Assad went on to remain in power for more than a decade, only to be ousted in 2024 by Islamist-led rebels, headed by now President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Survivors of the attacks, including medics, at the time risked their lives by posting dozens of videos online and spoke to journalists, including AFP reporters, about the horror they had witnessed.

The footage showed dozens of corpses, many of them children, outstretched on the ground.

Other images showed unconscious children, people foaming at the mouth, and doctors trying to help them breathe.

The scenes provoked revulsion and condemnation around the globe.