Removal of chemical weapons from Syria on track: Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry termed the 50% removal of Syrian chemical weapons as "significant".

THE HAGUE: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday noted that every one looked forward to the goal of eliminating weapons of mass destruction in Syria as he noted that the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had so far removed more than 50% of chemical weapons from Syria under the US –Russia framework agreement.

In a meeting with OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü at the organisation’s headquarters at The Hague on Monday, they discussed the ongoing OPCW-UN Joint Mission in Syria.

The mission was established following the US-Russia framework agreement to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons programme, which was agreed between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last September in Geneva.

It was noted that the US has had provided substantial material support for the removal of chemical weapons out of Syria and a maritime vessel, the Cape Ray, which has been outfitted with two hydrolysis systems to neutralise a large portion of Syrian chemicals at sea.

Üzümcü commended the United States for its invaluable support for the ongoing mission in Syria, and briefed the Secretary of State on the schedule for destroying the chemicals, stressing that the ongoing engagement by the US at all levels will be vital to the success of the mission.

In his remarks, Kerry noted that 50% of the Syrian chemicals have now been removed from the country, which he termed “significant, but the real significance will be when all the chemical weapons are out”. He praised the OPCW “for its expertise, for their commitment, their courage and their willingness to help get the job done.”

“Foreign Minister Lavrov and I relied very heavily on the capacity of the OPCW as we negotiated a removal of the weapons from Syria,” he said. “We have great admiration for the work done here, quietly and over a long period of time, on a steady basis, and I think everyone who works here should be very proud that a weapon of mass destruction will be taken out of a country for the first time in its entirety in this kind of arrangement. And we all look forward to achieving that goal.”