China welcomes Syria's chemical weapons declaration

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China welcomes Syria's chemical weapons declaration

(Xinhua) 19:33, September 23, 2013

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China welcomes Syria's submission of a full declaration of its chemical weapon inventory to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Monday.

China supports the OPCW in playing an active role on the chemical weapons issue in Syria, Hong said at a daily news briefing, hailing Syria's move as "another positive act" after it applied to join the organization.

Syria delivered a complete statement of its chemical weapons inventory to the OPCW on Saturday, meeting the deadline set by the Russia-U.S. deal to place the weapons stockpile under international control to avoid a U.S. military strike.

Meanwhile, without explanation, the OPCW indefinitely postponed a Sunday meeting of its Executive Council scheduled to discuss how to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons.

China is willing to work with all parties to help the OPCW Executive Council in making a decision about eliminating chemical weapons in Syria at an early date, Hong said.

"China will, as always, support the OPCW's work, including sending experts to join relevant efforts on the Syria chemical weapons issue," Hong said.

As an important member of the OPCW, China has dispatched several high-quality professionals, especially chemical weapons inspectors, according to Hong.

Under the Russia-U.S. deal, the Bashar al-Assad government should allow UN inspectors to inspect sites in Syria by November. All chemical weapons are to be destroyed by mid-2014.

Syria is officially slated to become an OPCW member on Oct. 14. The Hague-based organization is a UN partner and is responsible for the implementation and supervision of the international Chemical Weapons Convention.

（Editor：YanMeng、Gao Yinan）