Chemical weapons agency chief says Damascus meetings first step towards improved ties

The head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said on Saturday meetings he had with Syria's new leaders in Damascus were a first step towards ending years of strained relations on chemical arms under Bashar al-Assad.

"This visit lays the ground for working together towards closing the Syrian chemical weapons file for good and fostering long-term compliance, regional stability, and contributing to peace and international security," Director General Fernando Arias said in a written statement.

He met Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during his visit to Damascus.

The sudden fall of the Assad government in December brought hope that Syria could be rid of chemical weapons.

Following a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people in 2013, Syria joined the OPCW under a U.S.-Russian deal and 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed by the international community.

As part of membership, Damascus was supposed to undergo inspections but for more than a decade the OPCW was prevented from uncovering the true scale of the chemical weapons program. Syria's declared stockpile has never accurately reflected the situation on the ground, inspectors concluded.

"This visit marks a reset. After eleven years of obstruction by the previous authorities, the Syrian caretaker authorities have a chance to turn the page and meet Syria’s obligations under the Convention," said Arias.

Syria's new defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra had told Reuters in January that he did not believe any remnants of Syria's chemical weapons programme remained intact.