Weapons watchdog seeking cease-fires
Print Edition
The head of the world’s chemical weapons watchdog yesterday called for temporary cease-fires in Syria’s raging civil war in order to meet tight disarmament deadlines.
“I think if some temporary cease-fires can be established, I think those targets could be reached,” Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu told journalists in The Hague.
The OPCW has been charged with dismantling Syria’s chemical arsenal and facilities by mid-2014 under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution drawn up after deadly nerve gas attacks in August.
Uzumcu said during a rare public briefing on the state of Syria’s disarmament that the timeline “is extremely tight.”
However, he denied that the deadlines, including destruction of all production facilities by November 1, were unrealistic.
“Much depends on the situation on the ground, that’s why we have urged all parties in Syria to be cooperative,” Uzumcu said. “The elimination is in the interest of all.”
On Tuesday, the OPCW said it was sending a second wave of inspectors to bolster the disarmament mission in the war-ravaged nation.
Syria has won rare international praise for its cooperation with the chemical disarmament mission, deployed in Damascus since October 1.
“The cooperation with Syria has been quite constructive. The Syrian authorities are cooperative,” Uzumcu said.
Inspectors have already visited one chemical site in Syria and were visiting another yesterday.
“There are 20 sites to be visited in the coming weeks,” Uzumcu said.
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