US Slams Syria Over Chemical Weapons Delays

Envoy Says Security Concerns Are 'Without Merit'

Though Syria met the deadline for dismantling its chemical weapons program, the Obama Administration is angrily condemning them for having missed the deadline for shipping chemicals abroad, saying they are engaged in “open-ended delaying.”

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had confirmed that delays were likely, since shipping is out of the port of Latakia, deep in rebel-held territory, and there were considerable security concerns.

US Ambassador to the OPCW Robert Mikulak dubbed the security concerns “without merit,” and accused Syria of making excuses to delay shipping the now-useless chemicals abroad for dis-incorporation.

Despite the dismissive attitude of US officials, the OPCW has confirmed that Syrian rebels have successfully hit the nation’s chemical arms sites at least twice, and the OPCW has encouraged them to keep the timing of shipments secret to prevent the rebels from using the information for future attacks.

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.