Syrian chemical weapons to be fully eliminated by yearend, says Moscow

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Out of the 1,300 tons of chemical weapons that have been removed from Syria, only one percent remains to be destroyed, the Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesperson, Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "We’re noting with much satisfaction Syria’s chemical arsenals have been eliminated almost in full," she said. "All of that was done under international control and in strict compliance with Resolution 2118 of the UN Security Council." She recalled that the weapons as such and there precursors were taken out of Syria a year ago. "The most recent report by the Director General of the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, one percent of the 1,300 tons of toxic chemicals removed from Syria is yet to be destroyed," she said. "In the wake of technological complexities the U.S. contractor company has run into completion of the process is to be expected closer to the end of 2015." Elimination of the twelve former Syrian facilities for the production of chemical weapons is in full swing and almost a half of them, including all the tunnels continues at a good pace. "As for the remaining six hangars, the necessary works will be finished soon at five of them," Zakharova said. "Works have been halted at one of the facilities for the time being because of combat operation in the nearby areas," she said. Read more