Asia

Asia

Syria chemical weapons almost fully removed: OPCW-UN

25 April 2014 02:50 (UTC +04:00)

On Thursday, a joint task force made up of the OPCW and a UN team of experts, said Syria has removed and destroyed 92.5 percent of its chemical weapons.

"Today's operation brings the total of chemical material removed and destroyed to 92.5 percent," the joint mission known as OPCW-UN said in a statement.

The group noted that the Syrian government has destroyed buildings, equipment and empty mustard gas containers as well, adding, "A majority of (storage and production) sites are now closed."

Syria has pledged to have its entire stockpile removed by the end of June.

"I welcome the significant progress of the last three weeks and I strongly encourage the Syrian authorities to conclude removal operations as part of their efforts to achieve the June 30 deadline," media outlets quoted the mission's chief, Sigrid Kaag, as saying.

On September 14, 2013, Russia and the United States agreed on a deal under which Syria would have its chemical weapons eliminated and the US would in return not carry out planned strikes on the Arab country.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.