The Israel Project 06-Dec-13
Foreign Policy Magazine's The Cable yesterday outlined an
"array of technical, diplomatic, security, and financial
challenges" faced by the U.S. and its allies as they struggle
to meet a December 31 deadline, set by the Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), for putting
beyond use Syria's most dangerous chemical weapons. The
destruction of the Bashar al-Assad regime's chemical arsenal
was the critical condition of a plan, hammered out largely
between the U.S. and Russia, to avert a U.S. strike on regime
assets in the aftermath of a chemical weapons attack against
rebel-heavy suburbs of Damascus. Components of the
arsenal are supposed to be packed, transported to Syria's port
at Latakia, loaded onto non-U.S. cargo ships, moved to an
allied port, transferred to the U.S. vessel Cape Ray, and then
destroyed. The Cable notes that, beyond the challenges that
will be faced once the weapons are out of Syria, the logistics
for keeping the weapons secure as they're moved within the
country is proving problematic. Fighting along the arteries to
Latakia has occasionally been fierce, and Sigrid Kaag - the
head of the United Nations/OPCW joint team overseeing the
destruction of the weapons - recently revealed that at least
one major route, via Homs, would not be sufficiently secure
to use. The New York Times yesterday published more
extensive details describing Kaag's logistical preparations,
and quoted her emphasizing that "Latakia is the designated
port for exit of the chemical agents... chosen by the
government." Michael Weiss - a columnist for NOW
Lebanon and Foreign Policy, and Editor-in-Chief of The
Interpreter - noted that the arrangement will have the U.S,
U.N., and Syrian regime all "coordinat[ing] to stop rebel
activity along the route," the upshot being that the U.S. -
having initially been maneuvered by Russia into the
agreement - is now "outwardly enabling regime military
gains in Syria."
Foreign Policy Magazine's The Cable yesterday outlined an
"array of technical, diplomatic, security, and financial
challenges" faced by the U.S. and its allies as they struggle
to meet a December 31 deadline, set by the Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), for putting
beyond use Syria's most dangerous chemical weapons. The
destruction of the Bashar al-Assad regime's chemical arsenal
was the critical condition of a plan, hammered out largely
between the U.S. and Russia, to avert a U.S. strike on regime
assets in the aftermath of a chemical weapons attack against
rebel-heavy suburbs of Damascus. Components of the
arsenal are supposed to be packed, transported to Syria's port
at Latakia, loaded onto non-U.S. cargo ships, moved to an
allied port, transferred to the U.S. vessel Cape Ray, and then
destroyed. The Cable notes that, beyond the challenges that
will be faced once the weapons are out of Syria, the logistics
for keeping the weapons secure as they're moved within the
country is proving problematic. Fighting along the arteries to
Latakia has occasionally been fierce, and Sigrid Kaag - the
head of the United Nations/OPCW joint team overseeing the
destruction of the weapons - recently revealed that at least
one major route, via Homs, would not be sufficiently secure
to use. The New York Times yesterday published more
extensive details describing Kaag's logistical preparations,
and quoted her emphasizing that "Latakia is the designated
port for exit of the chemical agents... chosen by the
government." Michael Weiss - a columnist for NOW
Lebanon and Foreign Policy, and Editor-in-Chief of The
Interpreter - noted that the arrangement will have the U.S,
U.N., and Syrian regime all "coordinat[ing] to stop rebel
activity along the route," the upshot being that the U.S. -
having initially been maneuvered by Russia into the
agreement - is now "outwardly enabling regime military
gains in Syria."
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