Agency: Last of Syria’s chemical weapons handed over for destruction

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced Monday that the last of Syria’s identified chemical weapons stockpile was handed over to inspectors for removal and destruction.

The agency, which was charged last year with overseeing the destruction of Syrian’s chemical weapons under an agreement between the United States and Russia, took control of the “last consignment” of the deadly chemicals, which were loaded onto a ship at the Syrian port of Latakia, OPCW Director General Ahmed Uzumcu said in a statement.

“A major landmark in this mission has been reached today,” Uzumcu said. “The last of the remaining chemicals identified for removal from Syria were loaded this afternoon aboard the Danish ship Ark Futura.”

He said the next step involves delivering the chemicals “for destruction at the assigned facility on board the U.S. vessel Cape Ray and at commercial facilities” in the United States, Britain, Finland and Germany.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/agency-last-of-syrias-chemical-weapons-handed-over-for-destruction/2014/06/23/4eb9a138-fad9-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html