UNITED NATIONS: The removal of Syria’s chemical weapons material has been completed, the Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations (OPCW-UN) announced on Monday.

The removal of the most critical material for destruction began in early January, in line with an agreement brokered by Russia and the United States, by which Syria renounced its chemical weapons material and joined 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention. The focus in recent weeks had been on the removal of the remaining 7.2 per cent of the declared chemical weapons material which had been difficult owing to volatile security conditions.

“With this last movement, the total of declared chemical weapons materials destroyed or removed from Syria has reached 100 per cent,” the joint mission said in a news release.

“The most operationally challenging task within the effort to eliminate the Syrian chemical weapons programme has come to an end.” In addition to completing the removal operation, Syria has destroyed all declared production, mixing and filling equipment and munitions, as well as many buildings associated with its declared chemical weapons programme, the joint mission stated.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2014