Syria chemical arms convoys attacked twice: UN-OPCW mission

The Joint Mission of the UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has reported two attempted attacks targeting convoys transferring Syria’s chemical weapons.

In a Thursday report to the UN Security Council, the joint UN-OPCW mission cited Syrian authorities as saying that the attempted attacks had been carried out on January 27.

However, the monthly report did not provide any details about the location of the attacks.

According to the five-page report, Damascus also “indicated that ongoing military activities rendered two sites inaccessible during most of the reporting period.”

This delayed “in-country destruction of the final quantities of isopropanol, preventing some activities to consolidate chemical material into a reduced number of locations, and preventing the physical verification of chemical material prior to movement on 27 January 2014,” added the report.

On September 27, the UN Security Council approved a resolution supporting a Russia-US deal to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons by mid-2014. The deal was reached after Moscow offered Syria to place its chemical weapons arsenal under international supervision and Damascus accepted the proposal.

The ongoing turmoil has hindered efforts to move all of Syria’s declared chemical substances out of the country by OPCW’s February 5 deadline. Reports say Damascus has proposed a new timetable to remove its chemical weapons by late April.

The UN-OPCW report further stated that “measurable progress” has been made in the elimination of Syria’s chemical arsenal, stressing that the Arab state “must further intensify and accelerate its efforts towards the full elimination” of its chemical weapons.

On February 27, the joint UN-OPCW mission hailed Syria for the removal of the stockpile of mustard gas from its territory, expressing hope that Damascus would continue its “efforts to complete the removal of the remaining chemical materials in a safe, secure and timely manner.”

This was the fourth consignment of Syria’s chemical weapons to be transported from the country for destruction.

Syria’s declared chemical weapons must be destroyed by June 30 under the OPCW schedule. Most of the chemicals are to be transported to the port of Latakia, where they will be shipped out of the country.