DE FAAKTO INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH OBSERVATORY
SITUATION-PRECURSOR CHEMICALS FOR WEAPONS SOLD TO SYRIA
BACKGROUND-GERMAN COMPANIES SOLD PRECURSOR CHEMICALS TO ASSAD REGIME IN SYRIA FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS PRODUCTION DESPITE RESTRICTIONS
Key Points
What Chemicals Were Sold to Syria?
- Isopropanol
- Diethylamine (BBC, 2019)
What Companies Sold the Chemicals to Syria?
- German chemical wholesaler Brenntag AG used its Swiss subsidiary company to facilitate the sale of the weapons grade chemicals (New Europe, 2019)
Who Manufactured the Chemicals?
- BASF produced the diethylamine in Antwerp, Belgium
- Sasol Solvents Gmbh produced the isopropanol in Hamburg, Germany (DW, 2019)
Who Received the Chemicals?
- The Bashir Assad Regime, used a Pharmaceutical Company in Syria as a front to import the chemicals (New Europe, 2019)
What Chemical Weapons can be produced with the Chemicals supplied to the Assad Regime in Syria?
- VX-nerve agent
- Sarin-nerve agent (BBC, 2019)
Who Banned Sales of Precursor Chemicals to Syria and When Were They Banned?
The European Union, Federal Office of Economics and Export Control, is responsible for approving exports
- Diethylamine has been restricted since 2012
- Isopropanol has been restricted since 2013 (Business & Human Rights Resource Center, 2019)
Can Anyone Be Held Responsible for Providing Chemicals to Assad?
- Belgium authorities are investigating the sales of chemicals to Assad in Syria
Non Governmental Organizations Which Have filed Criminal Charges Over the Chemical Exports
- Open Society Justice Initiative, New York
- Syrian Archive, Berlin
- Organization Trial International, Switzerland (Business & Human Rights Resource Center, 2019)
Did Brenntag Do Anything Wrong by Exporting Chemicals to Syria?
- Brenntag said the chemicals were to be used to make an analgesic (pain medication) and that Brenntag did not circumvent European Union export rules (BBC, 2019)
- Brenntag says its Swiss subsidiary complied with all Swiss Laws (BBC, 2019)
Resources
German firms sent weapons-grade chemicals to Syria despite sanctions — report-DW (2019) https://www.dw.com/en/german-firms-sent-weapons-grade-chemicals-to-syria-despite-sanctions-report/a-49355063
NGOs file criminal charges over chemical exports to Syria by German companies that could be used to make Sarin gas- Business & Human Rights Resource Center (2019) https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/ngos-file-criminal-charges-over-chemical-exports-to-syria-by-german-companies-that-could-be-used-to-make-sarin-gas
German chemical firm Brenntag defends its Syria deliveries-BBC (2019) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48773571
German Company Accused of Sending Weapons Grade Chemicals to Syria-The New Arab (2019) https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/6/27/german-company-accused-of-sending-weapons-grade-chemicals-to-syria
