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The joint mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemicals had announced on Tuesday that Syria had destroyed its entire stockpile of isopropanol, a component used in the preparation of Sarin nerve gas. In a statement, the UN-OPCW mission said, “Now 7.2 percent of Syria’s chemical weapons material remains in country and awaits swift removal for onward destruction. The Joint Mission urges the Syrian authorities to undertake this task as soon as possible”.
Syria had promised to either destroy or hand over its chemical weapons arsenal; however, it still possesses significant amounts of declared chemical materials, in addition to not destroying dozens of storage and production facilities. According to sources, President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have taken the necessary steps to transport some of the remaining chemicals.
Hours after the UN-OPCW statement, the Pentagon said that Syria started to hand over the left over stockpile of materials in its chemical weapon arsenal, months after it blamed a delay on security concerns. Rear Admiral John Kirby, spokesman for the Pentagon, informed reporters that Syria the chemical material will soon be moved out of the country.
Syria is getting rid of its chemical weapons arsenal in accordance with an agreement it struck with major international powers. By signing the deal last year, Syria was able to avert military strikes in retaliation to the alleged use of sarin gas in rebel-held parts of Damascus last August. Assad’s enemies in the West suspect that he has intentionally dragged out the entire process, and that his forces use chlorine bombs frequently – the latest accusation of the military using them was in an attack on a rebel-controlled village this week.
The Syrian government denies that Assad’s forces have use chlorine has or any other poisonous gases, and blames the rebel forces for all chemical attacks during the civil war in the country. It also blamed the civil war for its failure to meet the deadline to get rid of its chemical stockpile.