THE HAGUE: Dozens of undeclared chemical weapons have been found in Syria, a global watchdog said on Tuesday, in its monthly report on its activities in the country.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said a team was deployed at the start of this month “to verify the accuracy and completeness” of Syria’s declaration about its chemical weapons stockpiles.
The search was carried out at a number of “high-priority undeclared locations” in the northern coastal and central regions, with the backing of the Syrian authorities.
“Dozens of undeclared chemical munitions such as aerial bombs and rockets, as well as separately found chemicals and related equipment... have been found at several of these undeclared locations, together with thousands of pages of documentation,” the report said.
Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 and agreed to reveal and hand over its stockpiles of toxic agents for destruction, under pressure from Russia and the United States to avoid the threat of airstrikes from Washington and its allies.
