One Third Of Chemical Weapons Supply Handed Over By Syria

One Third Of Chemical Weapons Supply Handed Over By Syria

Around one third of the chemical weapons supply was shipped by Syria for destruction abroad, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The OPCW revealed that more than six toxic agent consignments were handed over by Syria as part of an agreement last year.

Two additional shipments are set to be delivered to Latakia, a port in northern Syria. It will be transferred into the MV Cape Ray and commercial facilities in Germany and the United Kingdom for destruction. A revised plan was submitted by Syria for the removal of chemicals by the end of next month.

Two deadlines were missed by Syria in the handover of its chemical weapons supply last December and February. Due to this, diplomats were concerned that a final deadline may also be missed by Syria.

Ahmet Uzumcu, OPCW head, said the delays in the removal of the chemical weapons make it significant to maintain the new momentum. The government of Syria reiterated its promise to promptly carry out the removal operations, Uzumcu added. All equipment required for the chemicals should also be handed over by Syria.

However, Western diplomats consider the new timetable to be too slow. Western countries indicated chemical agents should be delivered by the end of the month to ensure the June 30 deadline for the destruction of the chemical weapons program of Syria is met.

The destruction of around 500 metric tons of the substances will require ninety days to complete, according to the United States. Around 1,300 metric tons were declared by Syria to the OPCW. The OPCW is the organization that monitors the destruction process in collaboration with the UN.

According to OPCW/UN head Sigrid Kaag, around one third of the chemical weapons supply of Syria was removed or destroyed, which indicates good progress and may be accelerated in the future.

Posted by James Fried on Thursday March 06 2014, 3:19 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0