Moscow expects Syrian chemical weapons' removal to be completed by UN, OPCW deadline - Russian FM
15 May 2014, 15:45 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry hopes that the process of chemical disarmament of Syria will be completed within the timeframe set by the United Nations Security Council (UN SC) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). 'We hope that the removal process will be finally completed as soon as this is enabled by the security situation, and within the timeframe set by the UN SC and OPCW decisions,' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday.
A temporary ceasefire in areas where components of chemical weapons still remain could provide important help in this, the spokesman added. 'Again we strongly urge all nations capable of exerting at least some influence on the armed Syrian opposition to persuade them not to create obstacles to the chemical weapons removal from these regions,' Lukashevich said.
Overall, Moscow is satisfied with the implementation of the Syrian chemical disarmament program, he said. 'We note close and productive cooperation between officials in Damascus and the joint UN-OPCW mission in the cause of eliminating the Syrian military chemical potential,' Lukashevich said. By May 15, Syria's core equipment for making chemical weapons and all empty munitions have been destroyed, and the removal of sulfur mustard - the only ready-to-use chemical warfare agent - was completed, he said. Also, 92.5% of all precursors and components of chemical weapons have been removed from the country, Lukashevich also added.
'To complete the operation, there is one but quite a complicated step to be made: to remove a quantity, albeit insignificant, of toxic chemicals from the storage facilities that are currently solidly besieged by the armed Syrian opposition,' he said.
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