US official: Syria must destroy chemical weapons facilities, in addition to chemical agents

WASHINGTON – The State Department’s top arms control official says that surrendering 100 per cent of its chemical weapons will not bring Syria fully into compliance with the commitments it made to eliminate its arsenal.

Rose Gottemoeller, the State Department’s undersecretary for arms control and international security, told reporters Friday that Syria must also destroy facilities, including hangars and tunnels, associated with its program.

She said Syria has moved about 92 per cent of its chemical weapons stocks to port for shipment out of the country. She said the remainder are at a single site near Damascus.

The head of the United Nations mission charged with destroying Syria’s chemical weapons said Thursday the last 16 containers of chemical agents are in a contested area that is currently inaccessible due to the fighting.