; and decide[d] also that the Secretariat shall provide regular reports on its investigations to the Council and to the United Nations Secretary-General for their consideration . (4) The Government of the Russian Federation attempted to impede the adoption of the identification mechanism in the Fourth Special Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, and has repeatedly worked to degrade the OPCW’s ability to identify chemical weapons users. (5) The Government of the Russian Federation has shown itself to be unwilling or incapable of compelling the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, an ally of the Russian Federation, to stop using chemical weapons against the civilian population in Syria. (6) The United States remains steadfast in its commitment to its key ally the United Kingdom, its commitment to the mutual defense of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and its commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention. (7) Thirty-four countries, including the United States, have joined the International Partnership against Impunity for the use of Chemical Weapons, which represents a political commitment by participating countries to hold to account persons responsible for the use of chemical weapons. 303. Statement of policy It shall be the policy of the United States— (1) to protect and defend the interests of the United States, allies of the United States, and the international community at large from the continuing threat of chemical weapons and their proliferation; (2) to maintain a steadfast commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW; (3) to promote and strengthen the investigative and identification mechanisms of the OPCW through the provision of additional resources and technical equipment to better allow the OPCW to detect, identify, and attribute chemical weapons attacks