House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said on Monday that the Syrian government’s refusal to destroy its chemical weapons as deadlines pass is a “troubling indication” about President Bashar al Assad’s intentions.
“The 100-day delay it has proposed is unacceptable and violates its obligations under the U.N. Security Council resolution that mandates the destruction of the entire chemical weapons program,” Royce said. “Russia’s refusal to pressure its ally to meet its obligations has allowed the regime to continue its obstruction.”
The Assad regime could be seeking to retain its arsenal its deadly arsenal of chemical weapons, Royce said.
The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution in September that mandated the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal and infrastructure. The plan, which was agreed to by Syria, set a Feb. 5 deadline for shipping all chemical substances out of the country.
Approximately 11 percent of the chemicals have been removed so far. Syrian officials claim that security concerns make further efforts too risky.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons laid out a new plan on Friday that calls for all chemical weapons to be destroyed by June 30. Syria countered with a 100-day plan of its own, but OPCW officials rejected it.