Standler's Essays on Syria & Iraq:
Chemical Weapons in Syria
Futile Peace Negotiations for Syria
U.S. Government response to ISIL

Introduction

By way of introduction, I was educated as a physicist (Ph.D. 1977), was a professor of electrical engineering for ten years, and I have been an attorney in Massachusetts since 1998. I have been interested in science and public policy since the 1960s, and I sometimes post at my website essays that preserve historical details on some topic.

There has been a civil war in Syria since March 2011 that diplomats have been unable to stop. On 8 Sep 2013, I decided to collect and preserve some of the historical details of the removal of chemical weapons from Syria and the futile peace negotiations for Syria.

While the principal purpose of this webpage is to provide an annotated list of my essays on the civil war in Syria, I also include:

many links to historical documents,
a table of the number of deaths in Syria,
a table of delivery dates for chemical weapons,
a table of OPCW deadlines,
and a table of Intra-Syrian negotiations in Geneva

I had intended to quit writing on Syria at the end of June 2014, when all of the declared chemical weapons had been removed from Syria, and peace negotiations were not feasible for the foreseeable future. But the capture of Mosul, Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on 10 June 2014 — as well as the declaration of the Islamic State's caliphate on 29 June 2014 — changed the Western view of the insurgency in Syria. In June 2014, I began including historical details about Iraq in my contemporaneous essays on Syria.

My essays on Syria and Iraq focus on five topics:

chemical weapons: use and removal
futile peace negotiations for Syria
the response of the U.S. Government to ISIL in Iraq and Syria
the dysfunctional Iraqi government (June 2014 to Oct 2015)
chronicling major Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe and the USA (beginning January 2015)

Standler's Essays on Syria & Iraq

On 25 July 2018, my 48 essays include more than 14,850 links to news articles and documents, and total 5407 pages of facts, quotations, and my commentary.

During 27 May to 10 June 2014, I revisited the topic of why the Geneva2 negotiations failed during Jan/Feb 2014 and wrote a 20-page review that summarized what was in my first eight essays and added some new information. The "transitional governing body" (TGB) mentioned in the Geneva1 Communiqué is flawed: (1) no one from Syria attended the Geneva1 meeting and (2) the situation in Syria changed before the negotiations began, so we no longer need a transitional government in Syria. I also discuss the problems in finding a suitable political opposition to negotiate with the lawful government of Assad. I conclude that the Syrian National Coalition is unworthy to lead Syria, but in 2014 there was no other acceptable political opposition to Assad.

Since July 2011, President Obama and two U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, have been declaring that Assad had lost his legitimacy to lead Syria. My document collects more than thirty quotations of their dogma about Assad. In mid-2013, when Islamic terrorists hijacked the Syrian civil war, the USA could not partner with Assad in fighting Islamic terrorism, because of this dogma.

My essays for August and September 2014 give a contemporary account of how and why the USA became involved in wars in Iraq and Syria that were initially expected to persist at least until 2017, and possibly beyond the year 2035.

Beginning with my essay for June 2016, I tersely discuss how the U.S. war against Islamic terrorism has caused ISIL to encourage or sponsor more attacks in Western Europe and the USA. The U.S. war against Islamic terrorism began in the year 2001, and after spending many tens of billions of dollars, we are now less safe than before. This should be an immense scandal.

Links to Documents on Syria

To assist students, I provide links to some difficult-to-find documents on the Syrian civil war.

Table of Contents

Links to Friends of the Syrian People Communiqués
Links to Coalition Against ISIL Communiqués
Links to U.N. General Assembly documents
Links to U.N. Security Council documents
Links to Geneva Negotiations documents
Links to documents on Chemical Weapons in Syria
Links to U.N. Reports on Human Rights in Syria

I have posted copies of some of the public-domain (i.e., noncopyrighted) historical documents at my personal website, rbs0.com . (In April 2015, when I was revising this collection of links, I noticed that webmasters at government and U.N. websites had already deleted some historical documents from the years 2012 and 2013. The United Nations website was unable to download documents to readers from 16 May 2014 until January 2015, which was an additional reason to post copies of U.N. documents elsewhere.)

Friends of the Syrian People

Hillary Clinton, then the U.S. Secretary of State, created the "Friends of the Syrian People" — also known as "Friends of Syria" — which had one-day meetings of foreign ministers that began on 24 Feb 2012. These foreign ministers are all opposed to the Assad regime in Syria.

Chairman's Conclusions in Tunisia, 24 Feb 2012 (copy) (copy)
Chairman's Conclusions in Istanbul, 1 April 2012 (copy) (copy)
Chairman's Conclusions in Paris, 6 July 2012 (copy)
Chairman's Conclusions in Marrakech, Morocco, 12 Dec 2012 (copy at rbs0.com)
Communiqué in Rome, 28 Feb 2013
Working Group on Sanctions Communiqué in Ottawa, 25 June 2013 (PDF)
Chairman's Statement in New York City, 26 Sep 2013 (on sidelines of a United Nations General Assembly meeting)

The Friends of the Syrian People "Core Group" of eleven nations — Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the USA — became known as the "London11" at a meeting in London on 22 Oct 2013. At the end of each one-day meeting, a Communiqué was issued, which I have downloaded, edited to make a smaller HTML file (while accurately preserving all text of the Communiqué), and posted at my website, rbs0.com:

Core Group Statement in Istanbul, 20 April 2013, copy at rbs0.com
Core Group Statement in Amman, Jordan on 22 May 2013, copy at rbs0.com
Core Group Communiqué in Doha, Qatar on 22 June 2013, copy at rbs0.com
London-11 Communiqué in London on 22 Oct 2013, copy at rbs0.com
London-11 Communiqué in Paris on 12 Jan 2014, copy at rbs0.com
London-11 Communiqué in London on 15 May 2014, copy at rbs0.com
Friends of Syria Ministerial Communiqué in New York City on 25 Sep 2014, copy at rbs0.com
London-11 Communiqué in London on 10 Nov 2014, copy at rbs0.com
Statement by Jean-Marc Ayrault on the meeting in Paris on 9 May 2016, copy at rbs0.com.
Friends of Syria meeting in London on 7 Sep 2016 has no communiqué. Copy of 25-page HNC plan for political transition is at RiadHijab.com. There is another copy posted at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, where the Friends of Syria meeting was held. The Institute also posted a copy of the slides shown by Riad Hijab during his presentation.
The Friends of Syria met in New York City on 18 Sep 2017, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting. Joint Statement. Copy at: rbs0.com

Coalition Against ISIL (beginning Sep 2014)

Kerry/Hagel statement sidelines of NATO meeting (5 Sep 2014)
Jeddah Communiqué (11 Sep 2014), copy at rbs0.com
"International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq," Paris Communiqué (15 Sep 2014), copy at rbs0.com
Joint Statement Issued by Partners at the Counter-ISIL Coalition Ministerial Meeting, Brussels, (3 Dec 2014), copy at rbs0.com
Counter-ISIL Coalition meeting in London (22 Jan 2015), U.K. press release, copy at rbs0.com
Small Group meeting in Jordan (8 April 2015), Readout.
Counter-ISIL Coalition meeting in Paris (2 June 2015), Declaration of the Co-Chairs, copy at rbs0.com
Small Group meeting in Québec City (30 July 2015), Canada.
"Statement by the Members of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL: The Coalition at One Year," Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum in New York City, U.S. State Dept, 28 Sep 2015.
"Leaders' Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism," White House, 29 Sep 2015.
Small Group meeting in Belgium (4 November 2015), U.S. State Dept.
Meeting of Defense Ministers of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the USA in Paris (20 Jan 2016). Joint Statement at USA; Netherlands; Australia.
Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in Rome (2 Feb 2016). Statement at U.S. State Dept.
Meeting of 28 Defense Ministers in Brussels (11 Feb 2016). Statement at rbs0.com
Meeting of Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in Kuwait (27 April 2016). Statement at U.S. State Dept.
"Plenary Meeting of the Global Coalition to Counter-ISIL," in Washington, DC, (10 June 2016). Statement at U.S. State Dept.
"Joint Statement by Foreign and Defense Ministers of the Expanded Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL/Daesh," in Washington, DC, (21 July 2016). Statement at U.S. State Dept.
"High-level meeting for the stabilization of Mosul — Co-chairs’ conclusions (October 20, 2016)," Statement at France.
"Meeting of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL in [Berlin] Germany," (17 Nov 2016) Statement at U.S. State Dept.
"Plenary Meeting of the Global Coalition to Counter-ISIL," (28 Nov 2016) Statement at U.S. State Dept.
"Statement by Ministers of the Global Coalition: Meeting on the Defeat of ISIS," (22 Mar 2017) Statement.
"Readout of the Meeting of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Jordan," (15 Nov 2017) U.S. State Dept.
"Joint Statement of Guiding Principles From the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS," (13 Feb 2018) U.S. State Dept.
"Readout of the Meeting in Morocco of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS," U.S. State Dept, 26 June 2018.
"Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at NATO HQ," U.S. State Dept, 12 July 2018.
"Statement by Ministers of the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS/DAESH," U.S. State Dept, 6 Feb 2019. Also see terse three-paragraph statement in United Nations document S/2019/146.

"List of Participants: Meeting of the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS," U.S. State Dept, 6 Feb 2019.
"Joint Statement on Syria," U.S. State Dept, 5 April 2019. (U.S., France, U.K. threaten Assad if he uses chemical weapons again.)

Links to U.N. General Assembly documents

United Nations General Assembly Resolutions are nonbinding, and generally insignificant. Here are the General Assembly Resolutions on the Syrian civil war, as of 23 Dec 2016:

Resolution A/RES/66/176 (19 Dec 2011).
Resolution A/RES/66/253A (16 Feb 2012).
Resolution A/RES/66/253B (3 Aug 2012).
Resolution A/RES/67/183 (20 Dec 2012).
Resolution A/RES/67/262 (15 May 2013).
Resolution A/RES/68/182 (18 Dec 2013).
Resolution A/RES/69/189 (18 Dec 2014).
Resolution A/RES/70/234 (23 Dec 2015).
Resolution A/RES/71/130 futile attempt to end Syrian civil war (9 Dec 2016).
Resolution A/RES/71/203 (19 Dec 2016).
Resolution A/RES/71/248 investigation of war crimes (21 Dec 2016).

Links to U.N. Security Council documents

United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Syria:

Resolution S/RES/2042, supporting Kofi Annan's 6-point plan (14 April 2012). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2043, deploys U.N. observers in Syria (21 April 2012).
Resolution S/RES/2059, renews U.N. mission in Syria for 30 days (20 July 2012).
- Lavrov/Kerry agreement, Framework of 14 Sep 2013, which led to UNSC Resolution 2118. Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2118, for destruction of chemical weapons (27 Sep 2013). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2139, for humanitarian aid in Syria (22 Feb 2014). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2165, repairs defects in Resolution 2139 (14 July 2014). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2170, condemns ISIL & Al-Nusra Front (15 Aug 2014).
Resolution S/RES/2175, protection of civilians in armed conflict, etc. (29 Aug 2014).
Resolution S/RES/2178, condemns ISIL and Nusra Front (24 Sep 2014).
Resolution S/RES/2191, renews humanitarian aid under Resolution 2165 (17 Dec 2014).
Resolution S/RES/2199, condemns sale of oil by ISIL and Nusra (12 Feb 2015).
Resolution S/RES/2209, chlorine gas in Syria (6 Mar 2015).
Resolution S/RES/2235, Asks who released chemical weapons in Syria? (7 Aug 2015). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2249, Calls on all nations to "take all necessary measures" to fight against ISIL. (20 Nov 2015).
Resolution S/RES/2253, ISIL & Al-Qaida Sanctions (17 Dec 2015).
Resolution S/RES/2254, endorses ISSG (18 Dec 2015). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2258, renews humanitarian aid under Resolution 2165 (22 Dec 2015).
Resolution S/RES/2268, endorses Russia/USA draft cessation of hostilities agreement (26 Feb 2016). Copy at rbs0.com.
Resolution S/RES/2328, sends U.N. observers to Aleppo (19 Dec 2016).
Resolution S/RES/2332, renews humanitarian aid under Resolution 2165 (21 Dec 2016).
Resolution S/RES/2336, welcomes Russian/Turkish negotiations (31 Dec 2016).
Resolution S/RES/2393, renews humanitarian aid to Syria (19 Dec 2017).
Resolution S/RES/2401, 30-day ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Syria (24 Feb 2018).
Resolution S/RES/2449, renews humanitarian aid to Syria (13 Dec 2018).

United Nations Security Council Presidential Statements are legally nonbinding. Statements are issued when there is a strong consensus, but one permanent member vetoes a draft resolution. Other times a Statement is issued to express a consensus when no one needs to be commanded to do something. Here are some of the Presidential Statements on Syria:

S/PRST/2011/16 (3 Aug 2011).
S/PRST/2012/6 (21 March 2012).
S/PRST/2012/10 (5 April 2012).
S/PRST/2013/15 "appalled at the unacceptable and escalating level of violence" in Syria (2 Oct 2013). Copy at rbs0.com.
S/PRST/2015/10 "expresses grave alarm" at humanitarian crisis in Syria (24 April 2015).
S/PRST/2015/15 (17 Aug 2015) (Endorses de Mistura's efforts.). Copy at rbs0.com.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2139 (22 Feb 2014) — and later Resolutions 2165, 2191, 2258, 2332, and 2393 — require the Secretary General to submit monthly reports to the Security Council. These relatively unbiased reports chronicle what is happening in Syria, including political and military developments, human rights, and delivery of humanitarian aid:

Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/208 (24 Mar 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/295 (23 Apr 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/365 (22 May 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/427 (20 June 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/525 (23 July 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/611 (21 Aug 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/696 (24 Sep 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/756 (23 Oct 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2014/840 (21 Nov 2014); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report for December 2014 is missing.
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/48 (22 Jan 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/124 (19 Feb 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/206 (23 Mar 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/264 (17 Apr 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/368 (22 May 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/468 (23 June 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/561 (23 July 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/651 (20 Aug 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/698 (10 Sep 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/813 (22 Oct 2015); copy at rbs0.com
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/862 (11 Nov 2015)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2015/962 (11 Dec 2015)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/60 (21 Jan 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/156 (18 Feb 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/272 (23 Mar 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/384 (26 Apr 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/460 (19 May 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/546 (17 June 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/631 (20 July 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/714 (16 Aug 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/796 (16 Sep 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/873 (18 Oct 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/962 (15 Nov 2016)
Secretary General Ban's Report S/2016/1057 (14 Dec 2016)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/58 (20 Jan 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/144 (16 Feb 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/244 (22 Mar 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/339 (19 Apr 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/445 (23 May 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/541 (23 June 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/623 (21 July 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/733 (24 Aug 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/794 (21 Sep 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/902 (25 Oct 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/982 (16 Nov 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2017/1057 (15 Dec 2017)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/60 (23 Jan 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/138 (20 Feb 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/243 (20 Mar 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/369 (19 Apr 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/484 (22 May 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/619 (20 June 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/724 (20 July 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/777 (22 Aug 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/845 (14 Sep 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/947 (23 Oct 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/1041 (21 Nov 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2018/1104 (11 Dec 2018)
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2019/157 (19 Feb 2019) — begin bimonthly
Secretary General Guterres' Report S/2019/321 (16 Apr 2019)

Links to Geneva Negotiations

Geneva1 Communiqué of 30 June 2012, by The Action Group for Syria. U.N.; U.N. Geneva. Copy at rbs0.com.
United Nations Geneva2 (22 Jan 2014 to 15 Feb 2014)
- Proposal of Syrian National Coalition on 12 Feb 2014
The press releases, statements, and transcripts of press briefings at the U.N. Geneva website are poorly organized into subdirectories:
1. Geneva Consultations on Syria (5 Aug 2015 to 22 July 2016)
2. Intra-Syrian Negotiations (4 April 2017 to current)
3. Intra-Syrian Talks (14 Nov 2015 to 31 Dec 2016)
In August 2018, I noticed that the U.N. Geneva Office had deleted some historic documents from this section of its website. For example, the "Geneva Consultations on Syria" had been moved without notice of the new location.
The United Nations Spokesman for the Secretary General in New York posts transcripts of some of the briefings by the Secretary General's Envoy for Syria.

Links to U.N. Secretary General's Envoys for Syria

The U.N. Secretary General's first Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, resigned because of frustration on 2 August 2012. Annan's eloquent resignation speech is posted at U.N.; The Telegraph; and rbs0.com
The U.N. Secretary General's second Envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, resigned because of frustration on 13 May 2014. U.N. Geneva Office posted documents on the "Geneva Conference on Syria 22 Jan to 15 Feb 2014." The Secretary General's announcement of Brahimi's resignation and a brief speech by Brahimi are posted at U.N.
The U.N. Secretary General's third Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, resigned at the end of December 2018. The U.N. Geneva Office posted documents on
1. "Geneva Consultations on Syria" during 2015.
2. "Intra-Syrian Peace Process" during 2016.
3. "Intra-Syrian talks — UN Special Envoy Statements and Press Briefings": Transcripts of Security Council Briefings, Press Conferences, and Statements from 9 Jan 2016 to 20 Dec 2018.
Mediator's Summary issued by de Mistura on 28 April 2016. Copy at: www.rbs0.com.
The U.N. Secretary General's fourth Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, began work on 7 January 2019. Transcripts of Security Council Briefings, Press Conferences, and Statements beginning 18 Feb 2016, posted at U.N. Geneva office.

Links to Chemical Weapons in Syria

In 2013, the U.N. Secretary General commissioned Prof. Åke Sellström to investigate whether chemical weapons had been used in Syria. There are two reports:

Report on use of Sarin at Ghouta on 21 Aug 2013, 41 pp. (13 Sep 2013). Also at S/2013/553
Final Report on use of nerve gas in Syria, 82 pp. (12 Dec 2013). Also at S/2013/735

OPCW Executive Council original schedule for destruction of chemical weapons in Syria (15 Nov 2013). Copy at rbs0.com.

The monthly reports on chemical weapons in Syria from OPCW to the U.N. Security Council:

OPCW First Monthly Report, S/2013/629 (28 October 2013).
OPCW Second Monthly Report, S/2013/700 (27 November 2013).
OPCW Third Monthly Report, S/2013/774 (27 December 2013).
OPCW Fourth Monthly Report, S/2014/52 (27 January 2014). (first delivery of chemical weapons from Syria)
OPCW Fifth Monthly Report, S/2014/133 (27 February 2014).
OPCW Sixth Monthly Report, S/2014/220 (26 March 2014).
OPCW Seventh Monthly Report, S/2014/300 (25 April 2014).
OPCW Eighth Monthly Report, S/2014/368 (23 May 2014).
OPCW Ninth Monthly Report, S/2014/444 (26 June 2014). (final delivery of chemical weapons from Syria)
OPCW Tenth Monthly Report, S/2014/533 (25 July 2014).
OPCW Eleventh Monthly Report, S/2014/622 (25 August 2014).
OPCW Twelfth Monthly Report, S/2014/706 (26 September 2014). (OPCW/UN Mission in Syria ended 30 Sep 2014.)
OPCW 13th Monthly Report, S/2014/767 (27 October 2014).
OPCW 14th Monthly Report, S/2014/853 (28 November 2014).
OPCW 15th Monthly Report, S/2014/948 (26 December 2014).
OPCW 16th Monthly Report, S/2015/56 (26 January 2015).
OPCW 17th Monthly Report, S/2015/138 (25 February 2015). (includes three fact-finding reports from 2014)
OPCW 18th Monthly Report, S/2015/211 (25 March 2015).
OPCW 19th Monthly Report, S/2015/295 (28 April 2015).
OPCW 20th Monthly Report, S/2015/391 (28 May 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for June 2015, S/2015/485 (26 June 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for July 2015, S/2015/572 (29 July 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for Aug 2015, S/2015/668 (27 Aug 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for Sep 2015, S/2015/737 (24 Sep 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for Oct 2015, S/2015/820 (26 Oct 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for Nov 2015, S/2015/908 (24 Nov 2015) (6.6 Megabyte PDF file includes three fact-finding reports on Syria.).
OPCW Monthly Report for Dec 2015, S/2015/1049 (29 Dec 2015).
OPCW Monthly Report for January 2016, S/2016/85 (28 Jan 2016) (3.1 Megabyte PDF file includes 25 Jan 2016 fact-finding report on a dozen incidents in Syria during 2014.).
OPCW Monthly Report for Feb 2016, S/2016/196 (26 Feb 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for March 2016, S/2016/285 (29 Mar 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for April 2016, S/2016/391 (27 April 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for May 2016, S/2016/494 (27 May 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for June 2016, S/2016/577 (27 June 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for July 2016, S/2016/678 (3 August 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for August 2016, S/2016/748 (29 August 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for September 2016, S/2016/825 (29 September 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for October 2016, S/2016/928 (2 November 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for November 2016, S/2016/998 (29 November 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for December 2016, S/2016/1131 (29 December 2016).
OPCW Monthly Report for January 2017, S/2017/86 (30 Jan 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for February 2017, S/2017/175 (27 Feb 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for March 2017, S/2017/260 (28 March 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for April 2017, S/2017/373 (28 April 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for May 2017, S/2017/469 (30 May 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for June 2017, S/2017/564 (29 June 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for July 2017, S/2017/658 (28 July 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for August 2017, S/2017/756 (29 Aug 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for September 2017, S/2017/815 (27 Sep 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for October 2017, S/2017/916 (30 Oct 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for November 2017, S/2017/1005 (30 Nov 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for December 2017, S/2017/1119 (27 Dec 2017).
OPCW Monthly Report for January 2018, S/2018/84 (1 Feb 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for February 2018, S/2018/182 (5 March 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for March 2018, S/2018/283 (28 March 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for April 2018, S/2018/408 (1 May 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for May 2018, S/2018/523 (1 June 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for June 2018, S/2018/644 (27 June 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for July 2018, S/2018/745 (30 July 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for August 2018, S/2018/804 (31 Aug 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for September 2018, S/2018/875 (27 Sep 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for October 2018, S/2018/971 (31 Oct 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for November 2018, S/2018/1071 (30 Nov 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for December 2018, S/2018/1166 (27 Dec 2018).
OPCW Monthly Report for January 2019, S/2019/91 (29 Jan 2019).
OPCW Monthly Report for February 2019, S/2019/201 (1 Mar 2019).
OPCW Monthly Report for March 2019, S/2019/279 (28 Mar 2019).

OPCW Fact-Finding Missions on Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria

Beginning in 2014, OPCW conducted Fact-Finding Missions (FFM) to determine whether chemical weapons had been used in Syria. These FFM do not determine who released chemical weapons. (Who used chemical weapons is a matter for the JIM to determine.) OPCW has a webpage that lists some of the reports of the FFM to the United Nations Security Council.

On 16 June 2014, OPCW issued the first report from its Fact-Finding Mission, which covered 3 May to 31 May 2014. S/1191/2014.
A summary of FFM work in May 2014 and the second and third FFM reports (10 Sep 2014 and 18 Dec 2014) are publicly disclosed in a 116-page letter from nine nations to the U.N. Security Council, at S/2014/955 (30 Dec 2014). Later, these three fact-finding reports were also included in the OPCW monthly report for February 2015, S/2015/138.
OPCW issued three fact-finding reports on 29 Oct 2015, which are included in the OPCW monthly report for November 2015. The OPCW Technical Secretariat assigned report numbers, however these three reports are not publicly available from OPCW:
1. S/1318/2015, inconclusive results from Jober on 29 Aug 2014.
2. S/1319/2015, chlorine in Idlib during March 2015 to May 2015.
3. S/1320/2015, sulfur mustard in Marea on 21 Aug 2015.
These three reports are bundled in the OPCW monthly report to the U.N. Security Council for November 2015, S/2015/908.
OPCW Fact-Finding Report on use of chemical weapons at Jober on 29 Aug 2014, Darayya on 15 Feb 2015, and ten other incidents is included with the OPCW monthly report to the U.N. Security Council for January 2016, S/2016/85. The Syrian government complained to OPCW about alleged use of chemical weapons by insurgents, but when OPCW investigated, then the Syrian government did not cooperate adequately.
Addendum to report on incident at Darayya on 15 February 2015 is included in OPCW's monthly report to the U.N. Security Council for March 2016, S/2016/285.
S/2017/45, report on 2 Aug 2016 incident, plus summary of 2016 fact-finding missions. (17 Jan 2017).
S/2017/400, report on 16 Sep 2016 release of sulfur mustard in Aleppo province. (5 May 2017).
S/2017/440, status update of the OPCW fact-finding mission in Syria about the 4 April 2017 release of nerve gas at Khan Shaykhun. (19 May 2017).
"Note by the technical secretariat — Report of the OPCW fact-finding mission in Syria regarding an alleged incident in Khan Shaykhun, Syrian Arab Republic April 2017," OPCW, (29 June 2017). Also available as a U.N. Security Council document, S/2017/567.
"Further clarifications of why the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons fact-finding mission in the Syrian Arab Republic did not deploy to Khan Shaykhun," S/2017/905 (27 Oct 2017).
"Fact-Finding Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic regarding an alleged incident in Lataminah, Syrian Arab Republic, 30 March 2017," S/2017/931 (6 Nov 2017).
"Summary update of the activities carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons fact-finding mission in the Syrian Arab Republic in 2017," Aleppo City Oct/Dec 2016, Saraqib 1 Aug 2016, Kafr Zita 1 Oct 2016, South Idlib and north Hama 30 March 2017, S/2017/980 (20 Nov 2017).
Fact-Finding Report concludes that chlorine gas was likely used at Saraqib on 4 Feb 2018. S/2018/478 (17 May 2018).
Fact-Finding Report concludes Sarin was very likely used as a chemical weapon in the south of Lataminah on 24 March 2017, and chlorine was used as a weapon at Lataminah Hospital on 25 March 2017. S/2018/620 (19 June 2018).
Interim report on use of chlorine at Douma on 7 April 2018, and two other fact-finding reports. S/2018/732 (23 July 2018).
Final report on use of chlorine at Douma on 7 April 2018. OPCW (1 Mar 2019).

Who Used Chemical Weapons in Syria?

On 7 August 2015, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2235 established an OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). This Resolution led to the following documents:

27 Aug 2015 Letter from the U.N. Secretary General proposing a three-man committee, plus technical experts to do the forensic and chemical work. S/2015/669
9 Sep 2015 Letter from the U.N. Secretary General responding to Russian objections. S/2015/696
10 Sep 2015 Letter from president of the U.N. Security Council approving the Secretary General's plan. S/2015/697
9 Nov 2015 Letter from the U.N. Secretary General saying that the JIM would be "fully operational" on 13 Nov 2015. S/2015/854.
First Report of JIM, S/2016/142, (12 Feb 2016).
Second Report of JIM, S/2016/530, (10 June 2016).
Third Report of JIM, S/2016/738, (24 August 2016).
Fourth Report of JIM, S/2016/888, (21 October 2016).
U.N. Security Council extends JIM until 17 Nov 2017. Resolution S/RES/2319, (17 Nov 2016).
Fifth Report of JIM, S/2017/131, (13 Feb 2017).
Sixth Report of JIM, S/2017/552, (23 June 2017).
Seventh Report of JIM, S/2017/904, (26 Oct 2017). (The JIM "is confident that the Syrian Arab Republic is responsible for the release of sarin at Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017.")

Links to U.N. Reports on Human Rights in Syria

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has a Commission of Inquiry on human rights violations in Syria, which has written Reports. (See the "DOCUMENTATION" section of the Commission webpage, and also see the "All documents..." link at the bottom of that section.)

First Report, A/HRC/S-17/2/Add.1 (23 Nov 2011).
Second Report, A/HRC/19/69 (22 Feb 2012).
Third Report, A/HRC/21/50 (15 Aug 2012).
Fourth Report, A/HRC/22/59 (5 Feb 2013).
Fifth Report, A/HRC/23/58 (4 June 2013).
Sixth Report, A/HRC/24/46 (11 Sep 2013).
Seventh Report, A/HRC/25/65 (5 Mar 2014).
Eighth Report, A/HRC/27/60 (27 Aug 2014).
Ninth Report, A/HRC/28/69 (20 Feb 2015).
Iraq from June 2014 until Feb 2015, A/HRC/28/18 (19 Mar 2015).
Tenth Report, A/HRC/30/48 (3 Sep 2015).
Eleventh Report, A/HRC/31/68 (11 Feb 2016).
Twelfth Report, A/HRC/33/55 (6 Sep 2016).
Special Report on Aleppo, A/HRC/34/64 (2 Feb 2017).
Human rights abuses and international humanitarian law violations in the Syrian Arab Republic, 21 July 2016 to 28 February 2017, A/HRC/34/CRP.3 (13 March 2017).
Report, A/HRC/36/55 (6 Sep 2017).
Report, A/HRC/39/65 (12 Sep 2018).

See also the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights webpage on Syria.

On 10 March 2015, The Syrian Center for Policy Research posted a report on the damages during four years of the Syrian civil war, titled "SCPR Alienation and Violence Report 2014", SCPR. Copy at ReliefWeb; UNRWA; UNDPI.org.

Death Toll in Syria

From 18 Mar 2011 Until	Total Dead	Death Rate	Death Rate per 30 days	Citation
15 Nov 2012	39,112			SOHR
...
31 Aug 2013	110,371			SOHR
30 Sep 2013	115,206	4835/30 days	4835/30 days	SOHR
30 Oct 2013	120,296	5090/30 days	5090/30 days	SOHR
1 Dec 2013	125,835	5539/32 days	5193/30 days	SOHR
30 Dec 2013	130,433	4598/29 days	4756/30 days	SOHR
31 Jan 2014	136,227	5794/32 days	5431/30 days	SOHR
14 Feb 2014	140,041	3814/14 days	8173/30 days	SOHR
31 Mar 2014	150,344	10,303/45 days	6869/30 days	SOHR
18 May 2014	162,402	12,058/48 days	7536/30 days	SOHR
8 July 2014	171,509	9107/51 days	5357/30 days	DailyStar
20 Aug 2014	180,215	8706/43 days	6074/30 days	GlobalPost
30 Nov 2014	202,354	22,139/102 days	6511/30 days	SOHR
31 Dec 2014	206,712	4358/31 days	4217/30 days	SOHR
31 Jan 2015	209,395	2683/31 days	2596/30 days	SOHR
5 Feb 2015	210,060			SOHR
28 Feb 2015	213,407	4075/28 days	4366/30 days	see below
14 Mar 2015	215,518	2111/14 days	4524/30 days	SOHR
14 Apr 2015	220,271	4753/31 days	4600/30 days	SOHR
31 May 2015	229,312	9041/47 days	5771/30 days	see below
8 June 2015	230,618			SOHR
30 June 2015	234,468		5247/30 days	see below
5 Aug 2015	240,381	5913/36 days	4928/30 days	SOHR
31 Aug 2015	244,431	4830/31 days	4674/30 days	see below
30 Sep 2015	248,650	4219/30 days	4219/30 days	SOHR
15 Oct 2015	250,124			SOHR
31 Oct 2015	252,865	4215/31 days	4079/30 days	SOHR
30 Nov 2015	257,047	4182/30 days	4182/30 days	SOHR
31 Dec 2015	261,931	4633/31 days	4483/30 days	see below
31 Jan 2016	266,611	4680/31 days	4529/30 days	SOHR
22 Feb 2016	271,138			SOHR
29 Feb 2016	272,300	4802/29 days	4968/30 days	see below
14 Mar 2016	273,520			SOHR
31 Mar 2016	274,977	2658/31 days	2572/30 days	SOHR
30 Apr 2016	278,093	3116/30 days	3116/30 days	SOHR
25 May 2016	282,283			SOHR
31 May 2016	283,237	4927/31 days	4768/30 days	SOHR
30 June 2016	288,060	4823/30 days	4823/30 days	SOHR
31 July 2016	292,854	4794/31 days	4639/30 days	SOHR
31 Aug 2016	297,329	4475/31 days	4331/30 days	SOHR
30 Sep 2016	301,015	3686/30 days	3686/30 days	SOHR
31 Oct 2016	305,542	4527/31 days	4381/30 days	SOHR
30 Nov 2016	309,496	3954/30 days	3954/30 days	SOHR
12 Dec 2016	312,001			SOHR
31 Dec 2016	312,613	3117/31 days	3016/30 days	SOHR
31 Jan 2017	314,614	2001/31 days	1936/30 days	SOHR
28 Feb 2017	317,468	2854/28 days	3058/30 days	SOHR
12 Mar 2017	321,358			SOHR
31 Mar 2017	323,090	2826/31 days	2735/30 days	SOHR and below
30 Apr 2017	325,876	2786/30days	2786/30 days	SOHR
31 May 2017	328,187	2311/31days	2236/30 days	SOHR
30 June 2017	330,469	2282/30days	2282/30 days	SOHR
31 July 2017	332,946	2477/31days	2397/30 days	SOHR
31 Aug 2017	335,653	2707/31days	2620/30 days	SOHR
30 Sep 2017	338,708	3055/30 days	3055/30 days	SOHR
31 Oct 2017	342,077	3369/31 days	3260/30 days	SOHR
30 Nov 2017	344,539	2462/30days	2462/30 days	SOHR
31 Dec 2017	346,478	1939/31days	1876/30 days	SOHR
31 Jan 2018	?	?/31 days	?/30 days	see below
28 Feb 2018		2595/28 days	2780/30 days	SOHR
31 Mar 2018		3673/31 days	3555/30 days	SOHR
30 Apr 2018		1370/30 days	1370/30 days	SOHR
31 May 2018		1165/31 days	1127/30 days	SOHR
30 June 2018		1706/30 days	1706/30 days	SOHR
31 July 2018		1776/31 days	1719/30 days	SOHR
31 Aug 2018		840/31 days	813/30 days	SOHR
30 Sep 2018		1059/30 days	1059/30 days	SOHR
31 Oct 2018		1048/31 days	1014/30 days	SOHR
30 Nov 2018		1180/30 days	1180/30 days	SOHR
31 Dec 2018		1506/31 days	1457/30 days	SOHR
31 Jan 2019		891/31 days	862/30 days	SOHR
28 Feb 2019		609/28 days	652/30 days	SOHR
31 Mar 2019		955/31 days	924/30 days	SOHR
		/days	/30 days
		/days	/30 days

Source: Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Sometimes the SOHR posts a death toll only in its Arabic-language webpages, and then I cite a news source for a translation into the English language. Beginning February 2014, more information may be available in my essays.

From 1 February 2014 to 31 March 2014, there were 14,117 dead in 59 days, which corresponds to an average death rate of 7178 dead/30 days. From 1 February 2014 to 18 May 2014, there were 26,175 dead in 107 days, which corresponds to an average death rate of 7339 dead/30 days. As shown in the table, the death rate peaked in early Feb 2014 at 8173/30 days. This high death rate may have been caused by intense fighting before the Geneva2 negotiations ended on 15 Feb, as each party tried to capture as much territory as possible, prior to a possible ceasefire. It is ironic that peace negotiations may have caused a killing spree.

From August 2014 through December 2015, the SOHR sometimes posted only a monthly death toll, not the cumulative death toll since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in March 2011:

On 1 Jan 2015, the SOHR announced that 76021 had died in Syria during 2014. Adding that number to the death total announced for 30 Dec 2013 gave a new total of 206,454, which implies 4100 for the month of December 2014. But on 8 Jan 2015, the SOHR announced that 4358 had died during Dec 2014, an increase of 258. There is no explanation for this small discrepancy. I decided to use the greater number in the above table, because these death tolls are known to be smaller than the actual number. On 7 Feb 2015, SOHR released a new cumulative death toll from March 2011.

my estimates for cumulative totals
to end of a month in 2015

The SOHR issued a cumulative death toll of 210,060 dead from the beginning of the Syrian civil war in March 2011 until 5 Feb 2015. Then SOHR said 4075 people died during February 2015, an average rate of 145/day. Interpolating, approximately 3347 people died in the 23 days between 6 Feb 2015 and 28 Feb 2015. That means approximately 213,407 people died during the Syrian civil war from the beginning in March 2011 to 28 Feb 2015.

On 1 June 2015, the most recent death toll published by SOHR since the Syrian civil war began on 18 March 2011 was for the interval that ended on 14 April 2015: at least 220,271 dead. SOHR. The death rate during April 2015 was 4458/30 days, which is 149/day. From 15 April to 30 April at the rate of 149/day gives an approximate total of 2384. Adding 2384 during the last half of April plus 6657 during May to 220,271 gives a new total of 229,312 dead from the beginning of the civil war in March 2011 through 31 May 2015.

The SOHR reported 230,618 dead from 18 March 2011 through 8 June 2015. A total of 5247 people died in Syria during June 2015, for an average rate of 175/day. During 9-30 June (22 days) at 175/day gives an approximate total of 3850. Adding 3850 during 9-30 June to 230,618 gives a new total of 234,468 from the beginning of the civil war in March 2011 through 30 June 2015.

The SOHR reported 240,381 dead from 18 March 2011 through 5 Aug 2015. A total of 4830 people died in Syria during August 2015, for an average rate of 156/day. We can estimate that 780 people died during 1-5 Aug 2015. Adding 240,381 and 4830, then subtracting 780 gives a new total of 244,431 from the beginning of the civil war in March 2011 through 31 Aug 2015.

For the end of the month totals for 30 Sep 2015 through 30 Nov 2015, I simply added the monthly total reported by SOHR to the cumulative total at the end of the previous month.

There are two ways to obtain a 31 Dec 2015 cumulative total:

I added the cumulative total for 31 Dec 2014 to the 55,219 dead during the year 2015 that was reported by SOHR, to obtain a new cumulative total of 261,931.
I added the cumulative total for 30 Nov 2015 to the 4633 dead during Dec 2015 that was reported by SOHR, to obtain a new cumulative total of 261,680.

These two new cumulative totals are remarkably similar. I used the higher of the two values, because SOHR admits their data are less than the actual number of deaths.

my estimates for cumulative totals
to end of a month in 2016

To obtain the end of the month cumulative total for January 2016, I simply added the 4680 dead during January 2016, reported by SOHR, to my estimated cumulative total for 31 Dec 2015.

The SOHR reported 4802 dead during the 29 days of February 2016. That is an average of 166/day. As mentioned in the table above, SOHR reported a cumulative total of 271,138 dead up to 22 Feb 2016. So for the 7 days from 23 to 29 February, there were probably 166 × 7, or 1162 dead. Adding 1162 to 271,138 gives a new cumulative total of 272,300. But notice that cumulative totals for 29 Feb and 31 Jan 2016 show that 5689 (i.e., 272,300 minus 266,611) people died during February 2016, when the SOHR data show that only 4802 people died. Either the cumulative total on 31 Jan 2016 is too low, the cumulative total on 29 Feb 2016 is too high, or the number of people who died during Feb 2016 is higher than 4802. This small discrepancy — 887 dead in February — illustrates the uncertainty in death tolls in Syria.

The SOHR reported a cumulative total of 273,520 dead on 14 March 2016. The SOHR reported 2658 dead during the 31 days of March 2016, which is an average of 85.7/day. So I estimate 1457 dead in the 17 days from 15 March to 31 March. Adding 273,520 and 1457 gives a cumulative total of 274,977 on 31 March 2016.

The table above shows a death toll of 4968 dead/30 days during February 2016, mostly before the ceasefire began. In March 2016, during the ceasefire, there were only 2572 dead/30 days. Clearly, the cessation of hostilities agreement has saved approximately 2400 lives in 30 days.

On 1 May 2016, the SOHR reported 3116 dead during April, which I added to the cumulative estimate of 274,977 dead at the end of March, to obtain a new cumulative total of 278,093.

At the end of 25 May 2016, there was a cumulative total of 282,283 people dead since the civil war began in March 2011. On 1 June, the SOHR announced 4927 deaths during the 31 days of May 2016, which is an average of 159/day. So approximately 6 × 159 died during 26-31 May, which is an additional 954 deaths since 25 May. Adding 282,283 and 954 gives a new cumulative total of 283,237 at the end of May 2016.

Beginning in June 2016, SOHR reported only the monthly death tolls, so I simply added the monthly toll to the cumulative total for the previous month.

SOHR did not promptly report a monthly total for December 2016. Instead, SOHR reported a total of 49,742 people killed during the year 2016. Adding 49,742 to the total of 261,931 on 31 Dec 2015 gives a new cumulative total of 311,673. But there is a discrepancy. On 13 Dec 2016, the SOHR reported a cumulative total of 312,001 dead, which is already 328 more than the 311,673 end of year number, without counting those who died during 13-31 December. I estimate that at 3000 deaths/30 days, approximately 1900 deaths occurred in the 19 days during 13-31 December. That estimate suggests a cumulative total of 313,901 dead, which makes the 311,673 end of year number is too small by approximately 2228, a discrepancy of about 0.7%. Given the significant undercounting of deaths by SOHR, this error is negligible.

Later, the SOHR posted a monthly total of 3117 dead during December 2016. Adding 3117 to the number of deaths at the end of November 2016 gives a new cumulative total of 312,613. I think this is the best estimate of the total number of deaths during the Syrian civil war.

my estimates for cumulative totals
to end of a month in 2017-18

When I add my estimated 28 February 2017 cumulative total in the table above to the SOHR death toll for the month of March, I obtain a total of 320,294, which is less than SOHR's cumulative total for 12 March 2017. Clearly, some kind of adjustment is necessary. I decided to use SOHR's cumulative total for 12 March 2017, plus an interpolated 1732 dead during 13-31 March. I obtained the 1732 value from (19/31) × 2826.

The English-language webpages at SOHR did not include a death toll for the month of January 2018.

Delivery of Chemical Weapons
by Syria to OPCW

Delivery Nr.	Date 2014	Priority 1	Total Delivered
1	7 Jan	?	3%
2	27 Jan	?	4%
3	10 Feb	5%	11%
4	26 Feb	?	?
5	28 Feb	?	26%
6	7 Mar	?	29%
7	9 Mar	23%	?
8	14 Mar	?	?
9	17 Mar	?	46%
10	20 Mar	35%	49%
11	? Mar	?	?
12	4 Apr	?	?
13	10 Apr	?	?
14	13 Apr	57%	65%
15	16 Apr	?	?
16	18 Apr	?	?
17	22 Apr	89%	86%
18	24 Apr	96%	92%
19	23 June	100%	100%

Sources: see citations in my essays on Syria. On 21 April 2014, I sent an e-mail to the OPCW Media Office asking for the date of the 11^th delivery, but there was no reply.

OPCW Deadlines

Action	Deadline Date	Status
Declare all chemicals	27 Oct 2013	PASS
Deliver all priority 1 chemicals	31 Dec 2013	FAIL: zero delivered
Deliver all chemicals	5 Feb 2014	FAIL: 4% delivered
Destroy all production facilities	15 March 2014	FAIL
Deliver all chemicals	27 April 2014	FAIL: 92% delivered
Destroy all chemicals	30 June 2014	FAIL

Sources of deadlines:

The 27 Oct 2013 deadline for declaring all chemical weapons is in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2118, Annex I, ¶(1)(b) (27 Sep 2013).
The 31 Dec and 5 Feb deadlines for delivery of chemical weapons are in OPCW document EC-M-34/DEC.1, ¶2(a) (15 Nov 2013). U.N. Security Council Resolution 2118, §7, requires compliance with these OPCW deadlines.
The 15 March deadline for destruction of all production facilities is in OPCW document EC-M-34/DEC.1, ¶2(b) (15 Nov 2013).
After Syria failed to meet the OPCW deadlines for delivery of its chemical weapons, on 21 February 2014 Syria proposed modified deadlines. After some negotiation with OPCW, on 26 Feb, the revised deadline for delivery of all chemical weapons was 27 April.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2118, §(1)(c), requires "complete the elimination of all chemical weapons material and equipment in the first half of 2014" (i.e., on or before 30 June 2014).

In April 2014, in my sixth essay on Syria, I predicted that, after all of the chemical weapons were destroyed, no one would care that Assad substantially missed deadlines for delivery of his declared chemical weapons.

All of Syria's chemical weapons production facilities were supposed to be destroyed before 15 March 2014. In June 2018, the final two chemical weapons production facilities were destroyed, as reported in United Nations Security Council document S/2018/745.

Negotiations in Geneva

The third U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, frequently refers to the N^th round of negotiations, so I posted a table of all the rounds of negotiations in Geneva.

Round Nr.	Dates	Accomplishment
	24-31 Jan 2014
	10-15 Feb 2014	frustration
1	29 Jan - 3 Feb 2016	opposition refuses to negotiate until ceasefire in Syria
2	14-24 March 2016	De Mistura issues paper on 12 Points of Commonalities
3	13-27 April 2016	opposition (HNC) walks out on 18 April
4	23 Feb to 3 March 2017	agree on agenda in Resolution 2254
5	23-31 March 2017	nothing
6	16-19 May 2017	nothing
7	10-14 July 2017	nothing
8	28 Nov to 14 Dec 2017	nothing
9	25-26 January 2018	nothing

Copyright 2014-2019 by Ronald B. Standler
this document is at http://www.rbs0.com/syria.htm
first posted 2 April 2014, revised 30 April 2019

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