JIM's Head Says Mission Does Not Need Mandate Extension

The Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the use of chemical weapons in Syria does not need its mandate to be extended, the head of the JIM said.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — On August 24, the United Nations and the OPCW released the results of a joint probe into chemical weapons attacks in Syria in 2014 and 2015. The mission's mandate is due to end on September 23 and the group is expected to prepare one more report by this time.

"I do not believe that the mandate should be necessarily extended," Virginia Gamba told reporters on Tuesday, answering a corresponding question.

She added that following the revelation of the report, the UN Security Council should decide on what to do with the conclusions of the report.

A mission to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal was announced after the deadly gas attack in 2013. Moscow urged Damascus to place its chemical weapons under international control, and Syria agreed to the Russian initiative.

In August 2015, the UN Security Council authorized the launch of the JIM to identify people involved in the use of chemical weapons in Syria.