MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) – The head of the international watchdog overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal said Tuesday that a proposal by Syrian authorities to destroy chemical weapons outside of the country is “the most viable option.”
Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, addressed the body’s 41-nation executive council with an update on the progress made in the OPCW-UN joint mission in Syria ahead of debates on the Syrian plan on November 15.
Uzumcu said Syria’s proposal was based on “practical challenges of carrying out destruction work in the midst of an armed conflict,” as well as on “resource limitations.”
Syria submitted its declaration on the destruction of chemical weapons in October as part of a strict and ambitious timeline that aims to eliminate the lethal stockpile by mid-2014.
According to the OPCW, Damascus has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its 21 accessible chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/filling plants, rendering them inoperable by the November 1 deadline.
The Syrian authorities have also declared possession of 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and more than 1,200 unfilled munitions.
“As of today, Syria has reported the destruction of 99 such warheads at one site, with another 55 warheads expected to be destroyed at a second site. Similar destruction work has commenced at five other sites,” Uzumcu said Tuesday.
It has not yet been decided how or where destruction of Syria's chemical weapons will be carried out.
Norway has turned down a request to have the material destroyed on its territory.
A Russian source cited by the Kommersant newspaper said in late October that the Syrian stockpiles could be destroyed in Albania, and that Moscow was ready to contribute some $2 million to the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria.
Russia’s UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, said Tuesday that his country would not be directly involved in the destruction of Syrian stockpiles but could provide assistance in the process.
“We are considering several options for such assistance,” Churkin said.
