Syria chem arms transport can be delayed: OPCW

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says the transportation of Syria’s chemical arms out of the country can be delayed by a few days due to technical problems.

A plan outlined earlier this month by to rid Syria of its chemical arsenal, says “priority” weapons must be taken off from the country by December 31.

“This may not be possible perhaps because of the technical issues that we have encountered,” OPCW Director General Ahmet Uzumcu said in Oslo on Sunday.

“But… a few days delay wouldn’t be much from my point of view,” he added.

Despite the possible delay, Uzumcu said he was “confident that we will be able to meet the deadline of June 2014 to destroy all chemical weapons in Syria”.

On September 14, Russia and the United States agreed on a deal under which Syria would have its chemical weapons eliminated and the US would in return not carry out planned strikes on the Arab country.

The war rhetoric against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of the capital Damascus on August 21.

Damascus has vehemently denied the accusations, saying the attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false-flag operation.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for over two years.

The UN also says more than four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced next year.