Chemical weapons continue to be shipped out of Syria

A third shipment of chemical weapons (CW) material took place from the Syrian port of Latakia and is now on board a Norwegian cargo vessel accompanied by a naval escort from China, Denmark, Norway, and Russia, it was announced on Monday. The Joint Mission of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed in a statement issued in New York that in-country destruction of some chemical materials has taken place alongside the removal of chemical weapons material, and “welcomed progress to date.” It encouraged Syria to expedite “systematic, predictable and high-volume movements to complete the safe removal of chemical materials.“The Joint Mission continues to work closely with the Syrian Arab Republic and Member States to achieve timely implementation of UNSC resolution 2118 (2013) and OPCW Executive Council decisions,” the statement said, according to the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA.