Faiza Patel checks in on efforts to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons:
Finding a country willing to take the toxic chemicals turned out to be impossible; early candidates Norway and Albania backed out. The U.S. came forward with an innovative solution: priority chemicals would be destroyed at sea aboard an American vessel, the specially-outfitted Cape May, using mobile units developed by the American military. Although there remain concerns about whether the units will work consistently on a ship at sea, the idea is not as outlandish as it might sound. The offshore approach has been taken before, albeit on a smaller scale: in the mid-2000s, Japan destroyed World War II-era bombs found at sea off the port of Kanda.
Here’s where the project has hit a snag.
In order to get the priority chemicals onto the Cape May, the Syrians first have to transport them to the northern port of Latakia. The December 31, 2013 deadline for doing so has passed. Two batches of priority chemicals have been moved offshore. These reportedly comprise about 4% of Syria’s total 1300 ton stockpile. However, since we don’t know how much of the stockpile is priority chemicals, we cannot evaluate progress in moving the most toxic chemicals out of the country. The OPCW has attributed the delays to security concerns, as well as logistical issues (although the recent remarks by the U.S. seem to point the finger at Syria). Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. According to the plan approved by the OPCW, priority chemicals must be destroyed—not just spirited out of Syria, but destroyed—by March 31, 2014. And planners estimate that it will take approximately 45 to 60 days to complete the operation at sea.
The final deadline for destruction of all Syrian chemical weapons is June 30th. Hayes Brown looks ahead to it:
Should the delays continue past the June deadline … the OPCW will have a decision to make, one that may bring force back onto the table. Under the terms of the United Nations Security Council resolution that demanded Syria hand over its stockpile, Ban and the OPCW Executive Director are required to jointly report Syrian non-compliance to the Council. Should that occur, the resolution promises that the Council will “impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.” This can range from the imposition of economic sanctions to the use of military force, neither of which permanent members China and Russia are in favor of. Given the wording of the resolution, though, should Syria be found in non-compliance, they may not have much of a choice.
The Dish 