Denmark, taking delivery of chemical arms, urges Syria to speed process
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Denmark, providing one of two container vessels taking delivery of Syrian chemical weapons for destruction, urged Damascus on Tuesday to expedite the process and said it could not wait beyond a June 30 deadline.
Syria missed several interim deadlines for relinquishing its toxic stockpile, although most of the declared amount has now been removed or destroyed, and Western officials are concerned about discrepancies and ambiguities in Syria's inventory declaration that could leave some of its arsenal intact.
Damascus's poison gas programme was to be completely eliminated by June 30 but that deadline is unlikely to be met, diplomats say, partly because it will take at least two months for a U.S. ship to destroy the chemical agents at sea.
Two cargo ships - from Denmark and Norway - from a Nordic maritime force remain in the eastern Mediterranean taking incremental deliveries of Syrian toxins.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/uk-syria-crisis-chemicalweapons-denmark-idUKKBN0DT0VN20140513