UK plans to join Syria CW disposal bid

Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has announced that the country plans to partake in efforts to remove chemical weapons from Syria.

According to the Foreign Office’s statement on Friday, a Royal Navy vessel will assist in the safety and security of Danish and Norwegian cargo ships in international waters when transporting Syrian chemical stockpiles.

“The UK along with the US, Russia, China, Denmark, Norway and Finland will be playing its part in this mission over the coming weeks and months,” the FCO said.

Britain also agreed to help destroy 150 tons of industrial-grade chemicals. The chemicals will be shipped to a UK port before being transferred to a commercial site to be incinerated and destroyed.

“It is important to stress that these are chemicals, not chemical weapons. They do not contain explosives,” the FCO spokesperson said.

Under the plan by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Nordic vessels are set to collect the chemicals from the Syrian port city of Latakia and take them to a port in Italy, where they will be loaded onto a US ship for annihilation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Beijing will help in escorting the maritime transportation from Syria to Italy.

Britain’s contribution is part of an international operation to destroy Syria’s stockpile following a deal struck between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the United States and Russia in September.

The UN-mandated disarmament operation is due to be completed by the middle of next year.

MOS/HMV

Source Article from http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/12/21/341131/uk-plans-to-join-syria-cw-disposal-bid/

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