THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced Monday that a third shipment of Syrian chemical weapons has been removed from the conflict-ridden country.
The OPCW-UN Joint Mission statement said that a Norwegian cargo vessel is transporting the third batch of chemical weapons material and departed Syria Monday with China, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United Kingdom providing a naval escort. Finnish experts are on board the Danish vessel.
In addition to the removal of chemical weapons, the Joint Mission confirmed "in-country destruction of some chemical materials ... and welcomes progress to date."
The UN has called upon Syria to expedite the removal and destruction of its chemical weapons in order to meet the June 30, 2014 deadline. On Monday, the Joint Mission reiterated that "The Syrian Arab Republic is encouraged to expedite systematic, predictable and high-volume movements to complete the safe removal of chemical materials."
UN Security Council Resolution 2118 for the "Scheduled Destruction of Syria's Chemical Weapons" was adopted on September 27, 2013.
[Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] [United Nations]
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