Syria hailed for mustard gas removal

The Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the UN has hailed Syria for the removal of the stockpile of mustard gas from its territory.

“The Joint Mission looks forward to the Syrian Arab Republic continuing its efforts to complete the removal of the remaining chemical materials in a safe, secure and timely manner, through systematic, predictable and high-volume movements,” said Sigrid Kaag, special coordinator of the joint mission, in a Wednesday statement.

According to the mission, Syria has shipped out its stockpile of sulphur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas. This will be the fourth consignment of Syria’s chemical weapons transported from the country for destruction.

The mission further encouraged Syria to maintain momentum in implementing the UN Security Council resolution on the chemical weapons issue and the decisions of the OPCW Executive Council to eliminate Syria’s entire chemical weapons arsenal.

The chemical weapons elimination plan calls for the safe transportation of Syria’s chemical arms outside its territory to ensure their destruction in the “safest and soonest manner” and no later than June 30, 2014.

However, the removal operation has been hampered by foreign-backed militants operating against the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the country.

The joint UN-OPCW mission was set up to oversee the country’s compliance with the chemicals removal plan.

Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons under an agreement jointly brokered in 2013 by Russia and the United States.