Syria’s Chemical Weapons Equipment ‘Destroyed’

All of Syria’s chemical weapons production and filling facilities have been destroyed ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.

Syria has destroyed all its declared chemical weapons production facilities, the international chemical weapons watchdog says.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a document – seen by the Reuters news agency – that teams had inspected 21 out of 23 chemical weapons sites across the country.

The other two were too dangerous to inspect but the chemical equipment had already been moved to other sites which had been inspected, it said.

“The OPCW is satisfied it has verified, and seen destroyed, all declared critical production/mixing/filling equipment from all 23 sites,” the document said.

Under a Russian-American brokered deal, Damascus agreed to destroy all its chemical weapons after Washington threatened to use force in response to the killing of hundreds of people in a sarin attack on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21.

The United States and its allies blamed President Bashar al Assad's forces for the attack and several earlier incidents. The Syrian president has rejected the charge, blaming rebel brigades.

Under the disarmament timetable, Syria was due to render unusable all production and chemical weapons filling facilities by November 1 – a target it has now met.

By mid-2014 it must have destroyed its entire stockpile of chemical weapons.

The first monthly report by the inspectors, covering their work on the ground since October 1, has been sent to the UN Security Council by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

Skynews.com