Albania rejects U.S. request to host Syria chemical arms destruction

PanARMENIAN.Net - Albania rejected on Friday, November 15 a U.S. request to host the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons, dealing a blow to a U.S.-Russian accord to eliminate such arms from the country's protracted civil war, Reuters said.

Negotiations went down to the wire as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague hit the deadline on Friday for a step-by-step plan to get rid of 1,300 tonnes of Syria's sarin, mustard gas and other agents.

After the Albanian decision, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning body adopted a plan on Friday night that set out deadlines in the destruction process but did not name a host country for the effort or provide details on security arrangements.

Albania's refusal marked an unprecedented break from its traditionally staunch allegiance to NATO ally Washington and may make it hard to meet destruction deadlines. It followed a storm of protest in the Adriatic republic, where protesters complained of exploitation.

"It is impossible for Albania to get involved in this operation," Prime Minister Edi Rama, just two months in the job, said in a televised address to the nation.

"We lack the necessary capacities to get involved in this operation," he said, following days of growing protests outside government buildings.

Hundreds of demonstrators, including students skipping school classes, gathered earlier on Friday to denounce the plan for Albania to host the destruction of the Syrian weapons, "NO" painted on their faces.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki sought to downplay the Albanian decision, saying several other nations "are seriously considering ... hosting the destruction efforts."

She did not identify these but said the United States expects that the timelines for the destruction of the Syrian weapons would be met despite the Albanian refusal.

There was no immediate indication where the United States or Russia might look next to dispose of thousands of tonnes of toxic waste. One source briefed on the discussions said Washington had bet on Albanian cooperation.

Faced with the threat of U.S. missile strikes, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September agreed to destroy his entire chemical weapons stockpile following a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people in Damascus on August 21.

Washington said only Assad's forces could have carried out the attack, a charge the Syrian leader denied.