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U.S. offers to destroy Syrian chemical stockpile
11/30/2013 12:51:07 PM
- The U.S. has offered to destroy Syria's "priority chemicals"
- It will do so aboard a ship at sea
- Private companies are vying to destroy the more common chemicals
(CNN) -- The United States has offered to destroy Syria's "priority chemicals," the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Saturday.
"The United States has offered to contribute a destruction technology, full operational support and financing to neutralize Syria's priority chemicals, which are to be removed from the country by 31 December," according to a statement from the group.
A joint OPCW-United Nations team charged with overseeing the destruction of the weapons began inspecting sites in October. The U.N. Security Council resolution that authorized the mission set a deadline of mid-2014 for Syria to destroy its chemical weapons or face consequences.
The goal is to move the most dangerous chemicals out of the country as quickly as possible, said Sigrid Kaag, head of the joint team.
The operation will be conducted on a U.S. vessel at sea using hydrolysis, a method that dilutes the most dangerous chemicals to a point where they can be disposed of safely.
The OPCW has turned to the private sector for the destruction of Syria's other chemicals, including common industrial ones.
An estimated 1.8 million pounds (800 metric tons), accounting for a major part of Syria's stockpile, is to be disposed of commercially at a cost estimated at $47 million to $54 million.
Some 35 companies have expressed interest and are being evaluated, the OPCW said.
The U.N. resolution on Syria's chemical weapons was based on a deal struck between the United States and Russia that averted an American military strike over allegations the Syrian government used sarin nerve gas in an August 21 attack on a Damascus suburb. U.S. officials said at least 1,400 people died in the attack. Syria denied responsibility, blaming rebel forces.
The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 after government forces cracked down on peaceful protesters during the Arab Spring movement and is now a full-blown civil war. The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have died in the conflict.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report
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