Syria acknowledged Tuesday that it has four chemical weapons facilities that it hadn’t previously disclosed.
Syria has declared four chemical weapons facilities it hadn’t mentioned before, a special representative of the U.N. secretary-general told the Security Council on Tuesday. The news heightened concerns that the Syrian government hasn’t been fully open about its chemical weapons program.
Diplomats said Sigrid Kaag told them during closed consultations that three of the facilities are for research and development and one is for production, and that no new chemical agents have been associated with the four sites.
UN's @SigridKaag said 4 facilities identified that regime failed to declare. Must keep pressure on regime so it doesn't hide CW capability.
— Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) October 7, 2014
After a devastating chemical attack against civilians last year, Syria agreed to destroy its chemical arsenal and production facilities in order to avoid a possible military attack by the United States. The destruction of Syria’s chemical facilities was overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
While Syria was clearing its stockpiles, reports were published concerning continued chemical weapons use by the regime. Even after June, when Syria was reported to have completely removed its chemical arsenal, there were doubts that Syria had been forthcoming about the full scale of its chemical weapons program. This latest report raises questions as to how much of its chemical weapons capability Syria has retained.
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