Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government formally applied today to join the international convention prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. Here is the official statement from the United Nations:
“Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Syria’s instrument of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention
The Secretary-General, in his capacity of the depositary of the 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, has today received the formal instrument of accession to the Convention by the Syrian Arab Republic.
Pursuant to the Convention, any State may accede to the Convention at any time. The Convention will enter into force for the Syrian Arab Republic on the 30th day following the date of deposit of this instrument of accession, namely on 14 October 2013.
The Secretary-General welcomes the accession of the Syrian Arab Republic to this Convention.
New York, 14 September 2013″