EU to support process of destroying Syrian chemical arms

The European Union (EU) announced Monday financial support of 12 million euro (USD 16.4 mn) to help destroy Syrian chemical stockpiles, by contributing to a Trust Fund established by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The activities covered by this programme include the transport, treatment and disposal of the chemical materials outside Syria, and will be implemented jointly by the OPCW and the United Nations, in order to secure their safe and environmentally sound destruction, said the EU in a statement.

EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs commented that “this is an unprecedented programme in terms of scale and timing in the history of chemical weapons destruction.” “The European Commission is looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with the OPCW and the UN on this matter and hoping that the destruction of chemical weapons will be a step closer to bringing an end to the conflict in Syria,” he said.