Experts from the OPCW, including
the organizations director-general Ahmet Uzumcu, say the December 31st
destruction deadline will most likely be missed. He cites the complications of
getting the chemicals out of a country safely in the midst of a civil war as
the primary reason for the probable delays. I agree with his assessment; the December
deadline seems too ambitious, especially considering the logistics of having to
collect all the chemicals from the storage sites, and then transport them
through battlegrounds, praying that nothing goes awry along the way. Syria’s
Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, requested international aid to acquire armored
vehicles and proper transportation materials, but international leaders are
wary of giving the Assad regime equipment that could be used to suppress rebel
forces. I believe the destruction process is too far along, and the Assad
regime is too firmly entrenched under the international microscope, that any
further use of its chemical weapons or abuse of international aid would be near
impossible. However, the concerns are legitimate and in my opinion the process
may have to wait until the war has calmed, or proper aid is provided; only
problem is that leaves the chemicals vulnerable and could take far longer than
many are willing to wait.
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