Syria can meet chemical weapons destruction deadline: UN chiefFebruary 6, 2014 - 14:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday, Feb 6, he was confident Syria would meet a June 30 deadline to eliminate its entire chemical weapons program under a U.S.-Russian plan, according to Reuters. Syria has missed a Feb 5 deadline to hand over its stockpile of chemical weapons, prompting fears it could fail to fulfill on time the plan which helped avert a U.S.-led missile strike against President Bashar al-Assad's government. "About these chemical weapons, I believe the process has been moving on rather smoothly even though there have been some delays," Ban told reporters after addressing a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in the Russian city of Sochi. "Our target is June 30 this year. This may be a very tight target, but I believe that it can be done with the full support of the Syrian government," said Ban, who will attend the opening of the Winter Olympics in Sochi on Friday. The agreement on the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons was reached after a sarin gas attack near Damascus last year killed hundreds of civilians. Damascus blames delays in implementation of the plan on security problems and the threat of rebel attacks as the weapons are transported out of Syria. The Syrian government has requested additional armor and communications equipment but the United States and the United Nations, which is jointly overseeing the destruction program with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, has said Syria has sufficient equipment to carry out the plan. Ban, who called for a truce in Syria during the Olympics, said he had received promises over the plan's fulfillment from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem last week during talks in Geneva. "He assured me that this chemical weapons destruction process will continue as scheduled," said Ban. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” Ex-President: Only removal of “defeatist” rulers can save Armenia Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. |