Denmark, Norway accept Syria’s chemical weapons

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borg Brende, and his Danish counterpart Rasmus Helveg Petersen made the offer in a joint statement, according to Alalam News Network.

“We are now planning for a joint naval operation to ensure transportation of chemical weapons out of Syria,” they said. “Removal of these weapons from Syria is a critical task for the international community.”

The operation will include naval frigates and specialized cargo vessels from both countries.

Sigrid Kaag, the head of international inspectors in Syria, told the UN Security Council this week the Syrian government would choose the ports from which foreign vessels would pick up the large quantity of chemical weapons material, estimated at 100 tons.

The task of transporting Syria’s chemical stockpile out of the country for destruction is to begin in January.

It will be the final phase of operations by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to eliminate the stockpile.

OPCW said last month that the United States had offered to dismantle Syria’s chemical arsenal aboard a US vessel at sea.

M.D