13/02/2014 10:26
Syria misses chemical deadline
Syria has shipped out 11% of its chemical weapons stockpile -- falling far short of the February 5 deadline to have all such arms removed from the country, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons told CNN Wednesday.
The slow pace of removal prompted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to warn last month that all options remain available to force compliance.
The OPCW is now in touch with senior Syrian officials to discuss a new schedule going forward.
Meanwhile, groups of civilians were evacuating a besieged city Wednesday as opposition leaders unveiled a diplomatic road map they hope will lead their country out of a brutal civil war.
The U.N. envoy leading Geneva talks met together with opposition and government representatives Wednesday, the United Nations said. Earlier in the day, he met with Gennady Gatilov, Russia's deputy minister of foreign affairs, the United Nations said.
Meanwhile, British investigators from the South East Counter Terrorism Unit searched a home Wednesday in Crawley, Sussex, in connection with last week's suicide bombing in Syria's Aleppo Prison. British public broadcaster BBC reported that the bombing suspect was from Crawley. British authorities declined to comment.