Delay in Syria arms destruction worries US
The United States says it is concerned that Syria is behind schedule in handing over its chemical weapons.
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According to a BBC report, Defence Secretary Chunk Hagel, told reporters in Poland that he did not know the reason for the delay and asked Damascus to “fix this”.
The delay has necessitated a meeting later in The Hague by the International watchdog overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons to discuss how to expedite action on the weapon destruction.
The weapons are supposed to be destroyed by June 30.
The US Ambassador, Robert Mikulak, said in a statement to the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) that the effort to remove chemical agent and key precursor chemicals from Syria had “languished and stalled”.
He said just about four per cent of the chemical declared by the Syria government had been removed, and urged the Assad government to “proceed without further delay to comply with its obligations and make this effort a success.”
In the plan to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons, the Assad government is responsible for packing and safely transporting the weapons to the Mediterranean port of Latakia.
Denmark and Norway are providing cargo ships and military escorts to take them to Italy where they will be loaded onto a US Maritime administration cargo ship MV Cape Ray for destruction in international waters.
