Written question asked by Emily Thornberry (Labour) on Friday, 21 April 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 25 April 2017. It was answered by Boris Johnson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 26 April 2017 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq: Chemical Weapons

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the establishment of an independent international mechanism to investigate attacks using chemical weapons in Iraq.

Answer: It is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to investigate alleged use of chemical weapons on its territory. At Iraqi request, and in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has provided assistance to the Iraqi authorities over the past two years to support their investigation into such allegations. We therefore judge there is no requirement for the establishment of any additional international mechanism to investigate attacks using chemical weapons in Iraq.

Secondary information