Albania to say whether will destroy Syria chemical arms

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he would announce Friday whether his Balkan country will destroy Syrian chemical weapons on its soil. "Today at 1600 GMT, I will publicly present my stance on the chemical weapons issue," Rama wrote on his Facebook page. His government has been weighing whether to accept Syria's chemical weapons since being mooted, along with France and Belgium, as the site for their destruction. Norway, advanced as another option to take Syria's weapons, has refused. The issue has triggered a week of protests in Albania. Hundreds of people spent Thursday night in front of the Albanian government building, while thousands of protestors gathered in several towns in the country. Rama said last week he spoke to US Secretary of State John Kerry about the possibility of accepting Syria's chemical weapons, adding that his cabinet has been in talks with NATO partners. Albanian parliamentary speaker Ilir Meta said: "Any decision will be transparent and in the interest of the Albanians." Six years ago, it was confirmed that Albania had destroyed its own stockpile of chemical weapons left over from its communist period. Friday is the deadline for the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to approve a final timetable to destroy Syria's entire chemical arsenal by mid-2014. Syria, in the grips of conflict since early 2011, has more than 1,000 tonnes of dangerous chemicals that have to be destroyed under a UN Security Council resolution agreed to by Damascus. Alexander Arvizu, US ambassador to Tirana, said late Thursday Washington would be disappointed if Albania refused to take in the chemicals, but would respect the decision. In an interview with Albanian television, Arvizu said the US has given offered all possible guarantees to Tirana. He added that US President Barack Obama had written to Rama over the issue and invited him to visit Washington next year.