Syria's chemical weapons stockpile may finally be a thing of the past. After months of careful diplomacy, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is reporting that the last hundred tons of Syria's stockpile has been loaded onto ships to be shipped to a European site for destruction. In a statement to the press, OPCW hailed the successful elimination of the stockpile as a watershed moment in international relations. "The mission to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons programme has been a major undertaking marked by an extraordinary international cooperation," said Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the OPCW. "Never before has a …

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The Obama administration publicly blamed the Syrian government for delays in destroying its chemical arms stockpiles this week, calling upon President Bashar al-Assad's regime to take immediate action ahead of a second major deadline. In a statement to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), US ambassador Robert Mikulak accused Syria of delaying the process for unwarranted reasons, suggesting that the government is stalling as a ploy to gain leverage in negotiations.

An agreement reached last year requires Syria to remove and destroy its entire chemical arsenal by June 30th. The country was supposed to destroy its m …

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Syria has been accused of using poison gas to attack a rebel-held town, despite agreeing to dismantle its chemical weapons and production facilities earlier this year, reports Reuters. Activists opposing the Assad regime tell Reuters that they found victims in the town Nabak who had swollen limbs and were foaming at the mouth. They said that two shells filled with gas were dropped there on Thursday, and that seven were dead at the scene. Another group, the Syrian Revolution Coordinators Union, reported nine casualties and also accused the regime of using poison gas. US officials reportedly hadn't confirmed the attacks as of last night.

Syri …

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Syria has destroyed all of its declared chemical weapons production systems, according to a document from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) obtained by Reuters. The Syrian government had until November 1st to dismantle all production, mixing, and filling equipment, as stipulated under a disarmament timetable forged by American and Russian leaders. After having inspected 21 out of the country's 23 declared production sites, the OPCW says it is now confident that the regime has met its deadline.

"The OPCW is satisfied it has verified, and seen destroyed, all declared critical production/mixing/filling equipment f …

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The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the decision at a press conference held in Oslo Friday morning, saying it chose the OPCW "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons." The organization will receive a monetary prize of $1.25 million, to be awarded at a ceremony in December.

Based in the Hague, Netherlands, the OPCW was founded in 1997 to uphold the international Chemical Weapons Convention. This year, the organization deployed a team of experts to Syria, following a series of attacks widely believed to have been launche …

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Syrian forces began destroying President Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapon delivery systems Sunday, according to a member of an international team overseeing the process. Speaking to Reuters, the official said a joint team of experts from the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) began overseeing the process yesterday, after arriving in the war-torn country on Tuesday. Syrian forces have started "destroying munitions such as missile warheads and aerial bombs and disabling mobile and static mixing and filling units," the official added.

The international mission was launched in response to an Augus …

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As expected, United Nations inspectors have reported that chemical weapons were used in an August 21st attack near Damascus, Syria. According to a report released today, the inspectors found "clear and convincing" evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve gas sarin were used in the attacks, and that chemical weapons had been used "against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale."

The inspectors visited the region in last August, conducting interviews with survivors, assessing their symptoms, and collecting various medical and environmental samples as part of the investigation. The New York Times report …

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After three long days of discussions in Geneva, the United States and Russia agreed to a draft framework that calls for the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons facilities and munitions by the first half of 2014. Both nations "expect Syria to submit, within a week, a comprehensive listing, including names, types, and quantities of its chemical weapons agents," as well as details - including the locations of - the government's production, storage, and research facilities.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been in negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to agree to the proposal, said at a press conference on Saturd …

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A forthcoming report from the United Nations will accuse Syria of crimes against humanity and confirm the regime's use of chemical weapons, according to reports from Reuters and the Agence-France Presse. "I believe the report will be an overwhelming report that the chemical weapons was used," UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon told reporters today.

The report is the result of painstaking work by a team of UN affiliated experts, who collected evidence and eye witness accounts along with samples of air, soil, blood and urine from the scene of the attack near Damascus. The report was intended to focus on the means and method of the attack, rather …

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