Last cargo of chemical arms exits Syria
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THE last of Syria’s declared chemical weapons have been shipped from the war-torn country and are en route for destruction at sea, the world’s chemical weapons watchdog said yesterday.
“As we speak, the ship (carrying the last chemicals) has just left the port (of Latakia),” Ahmet Uzumcu, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, told a press conference in The Hague.
“Removing the stockpile of precursor and other chemicals has been a fundamental condition in the program to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program,” he said.
Syria had previously shipped out 92 percent of its stockpile of chemical weapons under the terms of a United Nations-backed and United States-Russia brokered agreement last year.
But the remaining eight percent of the stockpile remained at one site and Damascus said it was unable to transport it to the port of Latakia because of security concerns.
“While a major chapter in our endeavours closes today, OPCW’s work in Syria will continue,” Uzumcu said.
“We hope to conclude soon the clarification of certain aspects of the Syrian declaration and commence the destruction of certain structures that were used as chemical weapons production facilities.”
The Syrian foreign ministry confirmed “the final cargo of chemical agents has today been taken outside Syrian territory.”
The Dutch head of the joint OPCW-UN mission, Sigrid Kaag, hailed the end of “the most operationally challenging task within the effort to eliminate the Syrian chemical weapons program.”
“We hope that our contribution will ultimately make a meaningful difference for the Syrian people and the region.”
Under last year’s agreement Syria had until the end of June for the destruction of its chemical weapons, but it has been widely acknowledged that the deadline would not be met.
A Danish ship is now to take the chemicals for transhipment in Italy’s port of Gioia Tauro to the US ship Cape Ray for destruction at sea, while some are to be destroyed at sites, including in the US and Britain.
Uzumcu hailed the mission as “a major undertaking marked by an extraordinary international cooperation.”
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