• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Syria Hands Over More Chemical-Weapons Data

October 05, 2013
by RFE/RL

Damascus has given international experts more details about its chemical-weapons program.

The United Nations said on October 4 that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had been handed the new information, although it did not disclose any details.

The Hague-based organization said its executive council would address the issue on October 8.

Last week, the UN Security Council demanded the elimination of Syria's chemical arsenal. The OPCW has been tasked with overseeing the task.

Syria agreed to eliminate its chemcal weapons after the United States threatened military action to punish Damascus for a poison gas attack on the suburbs of the Syrian capital on August 21.

Washington said the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to blame for the attack that killed hundreds. Assad blamed the rebels.

On October 3, the United Nations said the chemical experts had made 'encouraging initial progress' and hoped to begin disabling equipment involved in Syria's chemical-weapon process next week.

Meanwhile, Assad has told Turkey it will pay a heavy price for backing rebels fighting to oust him, accusing Ankara of harboring 'terrorists' along its border who, he said, would soon turn on their hosts.

Speaking with Turkey's Halk TV, Assad called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan 'bigoted' and said Ankara was allowing terrorists to cross into Syria to attack the army and Syrian civilians.

Turkey, which neighbors Syria, has backed Syria's oppostion, although it denies arming the rebels.

Meanwhile, reports from inside Syria say two rebel forces have been battling each other in the north.

Activists said heavy fighting continued on October 4 in the town of Azaz near the Turkish border. The battle pitted Al-Qaeda militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant against fighters linked to the Western-backed Free Syrian Army group.

At least 19 combatants were reported killed in the fighting.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/syria- chemical-weapons-/25127405.html

Copyright (c) 2013. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.