Middle East

86% of Syria chemical weapons removed: OPCW

OPCW SyriaThe Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says Syria has removed 86.5 percent of its total chemical weapons stockpile.

OPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu said on Tuesday that a new chemical consignment was delivered to the Syrian port of Latakia.

Tuesday’s batch, according to The Hague-based organization, brought to 17 the total number of Syria’s chemical consignments that have been shipped out of the country so far.

“This latest consignment is encouraging,” Uzumcu said in a statement, adding, “We hope that the remaining two or three consignments are delivered quickly to permit destruction operations to get underway in time to meet the midyear deadline for destroying Syria’s chemical weapons.”

Syria has vowed that all of its chemical weapons would be eliminated by June 30.

On September 14, 2013, Russia and the United States agreed on a deal under which Syria would have its chemical weapons eliminated and the US would in return not carry out planned strikes on the Arab country.

The war rhetoric against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of the capital Damascus on August 21, 2013.

Damascus vehemently denied the accusations, saying the attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false-flag operation.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

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