OPCW chief: New phase begins to destroy Syrian chemcial weapons

Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemcial Weapons Ahmet Uzumcu Wednesday said he informed the OPCW Executive Council about the commencement of the removal of priority chemicals from Syria for destruction outside the country and described it as "an important new phase" in the work of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission. In a press statmeent, he noted that this movement has occurred after some delays in December caused by security concerns, the procurement and delivery of large quantities of packaging and transportation materials and equipment, and adverse weather conditions. He stated that despite these challenging circumstances, Syria has now received "virtually all of the necessary logistical resources for the ground transportation" of priority chemicals to the port of Latakia for removal from Syria by maritime vessels and underlined the importance of maintaining progress. The Executive Council in its report encouraged all OPCW States Parties in a position to do so to maintain the momentum.