Time running out for destroying Syrian chemical weapons, claims OPCW

Time is running out for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons stockpile, the international body in charge of their destruction has said.

A spokesman for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Syria needed to hand over its remaining stocks within 17 days if it did not want to breach to deadline.

According to the BBC, Syria promised to hand over its remaining stocks of chemical weapons by 27 April.

As of this week, the OPCW said it had only received 54 percent of Syria’s declared 1,200 tons of chemical weapons, and only 43 percent of ‘Priority One’ materials – those too toxic to be sent to a commercial processing plant.

US military container ship the Cape Ray has been fitted out with two five million dollars mobile hydrolysis systems, which break down chemical agents with hot water, then further neutralises them with bleach or sodium hydroxide – also known as caustic soda, the report added. (ANI)