Syria slams EU for intention to use frozen assets for chemical destruction

The Syrian foreign ministry on Tuesday warned the EU against using frozen Damascus assets to finance the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal, a mission led by world bodies. The remarks came after EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton revealed intention to use the money to support the ongoing process overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). "We decided to make sure that assets frozen in the EU could be invested into the OPCW fund to help with the removal and destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons," Ashton said. The Syrian ministry said the move reflected the "hypocrisy and evasion" of some EU countries, which refused to unfreeze the assets for Syria to buy medicine and food. In addition, the ministry demanded the EU lift the "unmoral" sanctions against Syria, threatening "necessary measures" in case of "infringement" upon Syria's frozen assets. Shortly after mass protests broke out in Syria in early 2011, the EU slapped Damascus with harsh economic sanctions, including an oil embargo, and withdrew its experts from the country. Last year, the Syrian government agreed with the OPCW on eradicating its chemical arsenal after an alleged deadly chemical attack took place outside Damascus. An OPCW-UN joint mission said Monday that a third batch of chemical weapons had been shipped out of Syria for destruction.