Syria ‘to complete chemical weapons removal by March’
Syria will complete the removal of chemical weapons from the country by the end of the month, and will attend the next round of Geneva peace talks, senior Russian ministers say.
Russia is Syria’s most powerful ally during the three-year civil war, moved to ease concerns from western powers that Syria has been dragging its feet in relation to its pledges over chemical weapons.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted as saying on Tuesday that the process of removing chemical agents will be completed by 1 March.
“Literally yesterday the Syrians announced that the removal of a large shipment of chemical substances is planned in February. They are ready to complete this process by 1 March,” state-run Russia news agency RIA quoted Mr Gatilov as saying.
Concerns
Last month the US raised concerns that deadlines for sending toxic substances were not being met. US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that Syria was braking its legal obligations, and if it did not expedite the process, the matter would be referred to the UN Security Council.
On Saturday, a US official said that Mr Kerry had urged Russia to “push the regime for more progress on moving the remaining chemical weapons within Syria to the port in Latakia.”
Russia has said western concerns are overblown and rejected accusations that the delays are deliberate – citing security and logistical issues.
Meanwhile, another Russian deputy foreign minister has said that there is “no doubt” a Syrian government delegation will attend the next round of talks aimed at finding peace in Syria.
Mikhail Bogdanov said: “We have no doubt that the government delegation will take part in the second round of international talks in Geneva.”
The first round of talks achieved little progress securing agreements between the Syrian government and the western-backed opposition political movement, the Syrian National Coalition.
As the international political positioning continued, so did the bloodshed inside Syria. On Monday, activists reported that the Syrian government had unleashed a new wave of airstrikes on the northern city of Aleppo, killing at least 18 people in attacks that included the use of barrel bombs.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that 2,300 people were killed in January in Syria.