Syria chemicals 'transferred'
July 3, 2014
More than 1,300 metric tons of toxic chemicals, including mustard gas and components of the nerve agents VX and sarin, were moved onto a United States navy ship from a Danish vessel at the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro Wednesday.
The US defense department confirmed late Wednesday that the transfer of chemicals - overseen by officials from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - had been successfully completed.
The transfer of the cargo from the Danish vessel, Ark Futara, to USS Cape Ray took place amid tight security. Ark Futara was accompanied by Italian coast guard ships and a military helicopter.
Gen. Phillip M. Breedlove of the US air force said the ship would "transit to international waters to neutralize the chemical agents in a safe and environmentally sound manner."
The process is expected to take about two months to complete.
Backed by the United Nations, the US and Russia brokered the plan for the removal of Syria's chemical weapons in September last year in a rare diplomatic success to end the Middle Eastern country's protracted civil war.
Environmental risks
Toxic material will be destroyed by using hydrolysis systems aboard Cape Ray. The resulting waste will be disposed of on land in dumps equipped to handle hazardous materials.
US officials say no vapor or water runoff will be released into the atmosphere or the sea as a result of the process.
Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti said the operation was a proud moment for his country, tweeting that Italy was contributing to international security in a "transparent and environmentally secure" way.
Gioia Tauro residents, however, said they were kept in the dark about the operation, complaining they were unaware about the nature of chemicals being transferred.
Protracted conflict
In an unexpected move last year, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to the Western countries' demand to give up his chemical arsenal.
On August 21, last year, more than 300 people died and thousands were injured in an apparent chemical attack by Syrian forces in the opposition-controlled Ghouta suburbs near the capital, Damascus. The US and other western countries blamed the Syrian government for the attacks, while Syria blamed the rebels who aim to topple Assad's regime.
The US and France - which support the rebels - threatened airstrikes on Syria and demanded the chemical weapons be handed over to international watchdog OPCW.
The Syrian conflict, which started in March 2011 as a peaceful anti-government movement, turned into a civil war in which more than 160,000 people have so far been killed.
shs/rc (AP, dpa)