Most of world's declared chemical weapon stocks destroyed

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, May 29 (UPI) -- Most of the world's declared stocks of chemical weapons, including sulfur mustard gas and precursor chemicals for sarin, have been destroyed.

Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement that his organization had verified that 90 percent of declared chemical weapons stocks have been eliminated -- "a major milestone that shows we are well on the way to ridding the world of chemical weapons."

The complete elimination of Cold War-era stockpiles in Russia and the United States is well underway and is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2020 and 2023, respectively, he said.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The international convention came into force 1997 and currently has 190 member states.

In his statement, Uzumcu stressed that despite the 90 percent elimination of declared chemical weapons stocks, challenges remained to guard against the re-emergence of the weapons.