No EU nation candidate to destroy Syria gas

[cqo_000]

Source: Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Not a single European Union nation came forward on Monday offering to host the destruction of Syria's poison gas stockpile, with many instead calling for the arsenal to be eradicated close to Syria itself.

"There is no member state that has come forward in saying 'OK, give us the stuff'," said Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has adopted a plan to destroy Damascus' estimated 1,300-ton arsenal, which includes mustard gas and sarin, outside Syria, but has yet to find a country willing to host the risky operation.

"The remaining question is actually where we will be able to find a location," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Read more: http://www.hsconnect.com/page/content.detail/id/410657/No-EU-nation-candidate-to-destroy-Syria-gas.html?isap=1&nav=5030

[davidpdx]

1. Not good

The further they have to travel the more dangerous it becomes. Lots of unstable countries on both the west and east sides. I have to wonder if Turkey would possibly do it.

[Sand Wind]

2. There is the environmental issue, but also the implicite menace of Iran and Russia,

Imagine an Iranian terrorist attack against a chemical convoy ...

[Diclotican]

4. Sand Wind

Sand Wind

For some reasons I doubt Iran would attack a convoy loaded with chemical weapons - they want to get into the fold - and have stared making some progress to do it - if they destroy a convoy with chemical weapons, I doubt Iran would be able to get into any deal with the West for the next 50 years - that be if they choose to disarm them self totally - and to stop the nuclear power plants and to destroy it...

Many islamic organizations who have no connections with Iran - (rather with Saudi-Arabia and some of the Gulf States) and who have been operating in the Russian Federation for at least 2 decades now - and have a hate for the russians in general - would love to blow up a convoy of chemical weapons if they was able to get close enough to do it... Russia is a large country - and I doubt even Putin's Russia was able to protect the train loaded with chemical weapons - bound for destruction, would have the necessary tools to protect it in a bubble 24/7... Even under USSR, with the Almighty KGB, they was not able to protect trains like it... But back then, I doubt anyone would dear to attack a transport like this - the reprisals from KGB would be to serve.. But Russia of today are no USSR of 1988...

Diclotican

[Diclotican]

3. cqo_000

cqo_000

One of the reasons few EU states would destroy the stuff from Syria - is maybe because few - or non of them in reality have the necessary equipment to destroy Chemical weapons at all - it is a lot of rather specialty equipment necessary to destroy all of the chemical weapons that Syria is claimed to have.... And no one really want all the chemical weapons on their ground - specially as it is a lot of dangerous components who have to be protected in different ways...

Norway was asked to facilitate the destroying of chemical weapons from Syria - but we had, and have no equipment to destroy chemical weapons in the country, so the government of Norway had to decline to be one of the receipt of the chemical weapons from Syria...

I believe - the only country in Europe who do have the equipment for destroying chemical, biological and other types of weapons is the Russian Federation - they have the necessary equipment - and at least one big factory, who can destroy more then 20 metric tonnes of chemical weapons - every 24 hours - that means, that just one of the factories in Russia - in theory can destroy most, if not all of Syria's chemical weapons in just 40 days - if they was crunching it day and night...

But the hard part is to transport all the chemical weapons from Syria - to the factory in Russia where the chemical weapons can be destroyed. The old USSR had a few weapons with chemical weapons - and even them had serious problems when they deiced to get rid of them - after 1988 - and it took years to get rid of most of it - specially as some of it, was old, and lot of the weapons rather fragile - and had to be treated accordingly... And I suspect some of it- was just dug down under the earth - on "secret sites" here and there...

One other reasons is - no one trust the Russian Federation to destroy the chemical weapons from Syria - even if they do have the equipment - and with some economical "incentive" would be happy to destroy the weapons - no one really trust Russia with the chemical weapons from Syria...

And there we are - no one will have it on their soil - and the only country in Europe who do have the necessary equipment to solve it - is the one who no one really trust..

Diclotican