OPCW trusts Syria info on chemical weapons

Iran Press TV

Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:34AM GMT

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says there is no reason to doubt the information provided so far by Syria about its chemical weapons.

An OPCW official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters in The Hague on Sunday that at this point “we have absolutely no reason to doubt the information” provided by the Syrian government.

On September 14, Russia and the United States agreed on a deal under which Syria must account for its chemical weapons stockpiles within a week and see them eliminated by the middle of 2014. Syria has agreed to the deal.

The UN Security Council on September 27 unanimously approved a resolution to avert a US-led military strike against Syria. The resolution condemned the use of chemical weapons in the country and called for their elimination.

Syria has already supplied a list of its chemical weapons and facilities and is due to provide further details by October 4.

A 20-member OPCW team of inspectors are scheduled to travel to the Syrian capital Damascus on Tuesday, where they will begin the elimination procedure.

OPCW spokesman Michael Luhan said, “Our first priority is to make the production facilities unusable.”

Washington had threatened to take military action against Syria over an unsubstantiated claim that the Syrian government had been behind a deadly chemical attack near Damascus on August 21.

Syria strongly rejected the allegation, saying the attack had been carried out by the foreign-backed militants to draw in military intervention.

On September 16, the United Nations said in a report that sarin nerve agent had been used in the August 21 attack.

Foreign-sponsored militancy has gripped Syria for over two years and the turmoil has taken its toll on the lives of many people across the country.

YH/HSN