Chemical weapons watchdog wins Nobel

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) won the Nobel Peace Prize for working to eliminate the scourge that has haunted generations from the First World War to the battlefields of Syria.

The reaction in Syria to the Nobel decision was polarised. A senior Syrian rebel called the award a “premature step” that will divert attention from “the real cause of the war”, while a ruling party lawmaker declared it to be a vindication of President Bashir al-Assad’s government.

The OPCW was formed in 1997 to enforce the Chemical Weapons Convention, the first international treaty to outlaw an entire class of weapons. Based in The Hague, it has largely worked out of the limelight until this year, when the UN called on it to investigate alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria.