Watchdog: Syrian Chemical Weapons Disposal Will Miss Deadline

Bad weather, shifting front lines and a hazardous overland journey are all contributing factors

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The international effort to remove Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile from the country is set to miss its December 31 deadline, a global chemical weapons watchdog said Saturday.

Bad weather and shifting front lines in Syria’s civil war are to blame for the delayed delivery of supplies needed to prepare the toxins for transport out of the country, according to the head of logistics at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The toxins in question can be used to make sarin, VX gas and other agents.

The hazardous overland journey to the Syrian port of Latakia is also contributing to the delay, Reuters reports.

In an international deal following an August sarin gas attack by President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Syria has agreed to dispose of its chemical weapons by June.

[Reuters]