Syria Delivers List of Chemical Arsenal to Watchdog

Meets US-Imposed Deadline on List

US officials had been gearing up for Syria to miss the artificially early deadline they imposed for Syria to deliver its chemical arsenal list to the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Syria has turned over the list today, however, beating the deadline.

Under the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Syria was obliged to turn over the list within 30 days of ratification, though the US insisted that Syria had only seven days to meet their deadline. Syria did it in six.

The OPCW confirmed receipt of the initial declaration, and says that it is under review now, though the details will not be released publicly. Syria was estimated to have some 1,000 tons of chemical weapons.

US officials downplayed the release, saying that they will continue to press the UN Security Council for a resolution that threatens “consequences” against Syria and warning that such a resolution must be passed soon.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.