21/09/2013 11:56
Hague watchdog probes Syria chemical weapons data
The international chemical weapons watchdog has said that it is studying details submitted by Syria about its arsenal of poison gas and nerve agents, the BBC reported.
But a spokesman for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was expecting more details from Damascus ahead of deadline for submissions by the end of Saturday.
Syria has agreed to provide a full list of its chemical arms by then.
It is believed to have around 1,000 tonnes of chemical toxins.
Its entire chemical weapons arsenal is meant to be dismantled by the middle of next year under the terms of a US-Russia brokered deal.
The US, UK and France have accused Syrian government forces of carrying out a chemical attack in the Ghouta district of the capital, Damascus, on 21 August, killing hundreds of people.
On Monday, the UN confirmed in a report that the nerve agent sarin had been used in the attack, although it did not apportion blame.
The US has threatened military action over the attack.
But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has blamed rebel groups and Syria's ally, Russia, said it had "serious grounds" to believe the attack had been a provocation by the rebels.
Meanwhile discussions are continuing at the United Nations over the text of a Security Council resolution on the disarmament programme - with Russia still opposed to the explicit mention of penalties in the event of Syria failing to co-operate.