US concerns about delays in chemical weapons removal from Syria aim to discredit Damascus

US officials’ statements about delays in the removal of chemical weapons from Syria are part of information pressure on the Syrian government, Chairman of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee Alexei Pushkov said on Wednesday. "Those statements, obviously biased and obviously targeting the current Syrian government, should be interpreted from the point of view of their goals," Pushkov told reporters in Moscow, Voice of Russia reported. "I don’t know how those concerns correspond to the reality, but they perfectly fit into the US task of exerting pressure on Syria and portraying (Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad as a villain that should be overthrown," Pushkov said. Earlier, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel voiced concern that the transfer of the most dangerous components of Syrian chemical weapons under international control was lagging behind schedule. In September 2013, Russia and the United States agreed a plan for the removal of chemical weapons from Syria and their subsequent destruction. Under the plan, all of Syria's chemical arsenals are to be destroyed by June 2014.   ? ?