The U.S. has not ruled out striking Syrian military targets if President Bashar al-Assad fails to destroy hid chemical weapons arsenal. (File photo: AFP)
U.N. Security Council praises Syria mission effort
The U.N. Security Council has praised the mission carried out to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal and the “good” cooperation by the Syrian government, reported AFP on Friday.
U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon has said that up to 100 experts in a U.N.-Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission will be needed to carry out an operation to eliminate Syria's banned arms.
The council has backed a plan for a joint mission with the global chemical arms watchdog to destroy Syria's weapons, diplomats said in a recent statement.
Fifteen U.N. envoys have agreed that the United Nations and the OPCW are doing a “great job,” said France’s U.N. ambassador Gerard Araud.
“Good cooperation by the Syrian government has been noted,” Churkin told reporters.
OCPW has until mid-2014 to complete the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons under the terms of a U.N. Security Council resolution that followed a brokered U.S.-Russian deal.
The chemical watchdog has received documents from the Syrian regime detailing its arsenal, which is believed to include more than 1,000 tons of sarin, mustard gas and other banned chemicals stored at an estimated 45 sites.
A Security Council letter sent to the OPCW formalizing the accord for a joint mission is expected to be approved on Friday.
Ban is expected to name a leader of the joint mission shortly which will have bases in Damascus and Cyprus.
(With AFP)
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