Syria is ‘unlikely’ to meet a 31 December deadline to move its most dangerous chemical arms out of the country, the United Nations acknowledged for the first time on Sunday.
The UN and the Organization for <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said ‘important progress’ has been made on eliminating <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Syria’s banned weapons, but called on <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">president Bashar al-Assad’s government to ‘intensify efforts’ to meet internationally-set deadlines.
The year-end deadline was the first key milestone under a UN Security Council-backed deal arranged by <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Russia and <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the United States that aims to wipe out all of Syria’s chemical arms by the middle of 2014.
‘Preparations continue in readiness for the transport of most of the critical chemical material from the Syrian Arab Republic for outside destruction. However, at this stage, transportation of the most critical chemical material before 31 December is unlikely,’ said a joint UN-OPCW statement.
Syria’s worsening civil war, logistical problems and bad weather had held up the operation to move chemical agents to <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the port of Latakia, the two bodies said.
Under an internationally agreed plan, the chemicals will be taken to a port in Italy where they are to be transported to <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">a US Navy ship specially fitted with equipment to destroy the weapons at sea, according to the diplomats.
Fighting between <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Assad’s forces and opposition rebels has held up transportation of the chemicals, and some details of the destruction operation have still not been finalized, UN diplomats said.
<span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">The US-Russia deal for <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Syria to surrender more than 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents averted US-led military strikes after a chemical weapons attack on 21 August near Damascus that <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the United States says killed 1,400 people. The UN and OPCW are monitoring and helping with the operation but the Syrian government has prime responsibility for moving the chemicals. ‘Since the Syrian Arab Republic disclosed its chemical weapons program three months ago, important progress has been made,’ said the UN-OPCW statement.
Syria has started the destruction of equipment at facilities it declared and completed the eradication of missiles intended for chemical weapons use ahead of schedule, said the statement. <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">The UN and OPCW welcomed ‘important milestones’ already met by Assad’s government, but highlighted ‘the importance of maintaining positive momentum.’
The UN and the Organization for <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said ‘important progress’ has been made on eliminating <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Syria’s banned weapons, but called on <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">president Bashar al-Assad’s government to ‘intensify efforts’ to meet internationally-set deadlines.
The year-end deadline was the first key milestone under a UN Security Council-backed deal arranged by <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Russia and <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the United States that aims to wipe out all of Syria’s chemical arms by the middle of 2014.
‘Preparations continue in readiness for the transport of most of the critical chemical material from the Syrian Arab Republic for outside destruction. However, at this stage, transportation of the most critical chemical material before 31 December is unlikely,’ said a joint UN-OPCW statement.
Syria’s worsening civil war, logistical problems and bad weather had held up the operation to move chemical agents to <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the port of Latakia, the two bodies said.
Under an internationally agreed plan, the chemicals will be taken to a port in Italy where they are to be transported to <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">a US Navy ship specially fitted with equipment to destroy the weapons at sea, according to the diplomats.
Fighting between <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Assad’s forces and opposition rebels has held up transportation of the chemicals, and some details of the destruction operation have still not been finalized, UN diplomats said.
<span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">The US-Russia deal for <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Syria to surrender more than 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents averted US-led military strikes after a chemical weapons attack on 21 August near Damascus that <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the United States says killed 1,400 people. The UN and OPCW are monitoring and helping with the operation but the Syrian government has prime responsibility for moving the chemicals. ‘Since the Syrian Arab Republic disclosed its chemical weapons program three months ago, important progress has been made,’ said the UN-OPCW statement.
Syria has started the destruction of equipment at facilities it declared and completed the eradication of missiles intended for chemical weapons use ahead of schedule, said the statement. <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">The UN and OPCW welcomed ‘important milestones’ already met by Assad’s government, but highlighted ‘the importance of maintaining positive momentum.’