Russia Joins Operation to Remove Chemical Weapons From Syria

MOSCOW_Russia will send armored trucks to Syria as part of an international effort to remove chemical weapons from the Arab  country for destruction at sea, the international watchdog overseeing the operation said in a statement posted online Wednesday, according to  RIA Novosti.

Russia is also ready to provide security for cargo operations at the port of Latakia and in Syrian territorial waters while weapons stocks are transferred to a US navy ship that will “neutralize” the chemicals, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ director general, Ahmet Uzumcu, said in the statement.

Uzumcu said Russia would provide water tanks and other logistical supplies as well as the large-capacity trucks. It was also willing to consider further financial or material support for the multinational operation to remove the most deadly of Syria’s chemical weapons within one month, the OPCW said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow was ready to provide a naval escort for ships carrying chemical weapons being removed from Syria.

Uzumcu said that Denmark and Norway would provide ships and military escorts for transporting the Syrian chemicals at sea and for carrying chemicals to be disposed of at commercial facilities.

Finland had also offered chemical weapon “emergency-response” capabilities, and Italy was providing access to a port for trans-loading the priority chemicals from Danish and Norwegian vessels to the US ship.

The United States will also provide nearly 3,000 container drums to store the chemicals and GPS trackers to monitor their movement, as well as loading, transportation and decontamination equipment.

China is also joining the operation by providing surveillance cameras and 10 ambulances.

Uzumcu made an appeal for the international community to urgently provide more financial support for the program. The existing special fund stood at 9.8 million euros ($13.5 million), with an additional 750,000 euros pledged by Finland and South Korea, while Japan had promised to contribute nearly $15 million to be shared between the OPCW and the United Nations.

The operation to destroy Syria’s arsenal of more than 1,000 metric tons of weapons-grade chemicals is due to take place in two stages. The most dangerous weapons have to be removed from Syria by the end of December and destroyed at sea by April, with the rest slated for destruction by mid-2014.

M.D