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Most of Syria's Toxins Can Be Destroyed More Easily than Initially Thought
(Washington Post) Joby Warrick - U.S. and Russian officials now believe that the vast majority of Syria's nerve agent stockpile consists of "unweaponized" liquid precursors that could be neutralized relatively quickly, lowering the risk that the toxins could be hidden away by the regime or stolen by terrorists. A confidential assessment by the U.S. and Russia also concludes that Syria's entire arsenal could be destroyed in about nine months. In private briefings, White House officials said analysts had concluded that Syria possesses more than 1,000 metric tons of chemical weapons, of which about 300 tons are sulfur mustard, the blister agent used in World War I. Nearly all of the remainder consists of chemical precursors of nerve agents in "liquid bulk" form. Weapons experts noted that it is far easier to destroy precursor chemicals than battlefield-ready liquid sarin or warheads already loaded with the toxin. The U.S. prefers to remove all chemical weapons from Syria as quickly as possible, while Russia wants the weapons destroyed on Syrian soil. A senior Russian official said Thursday in Moscow that Russia was prepared to provide troops to guard the chemicals as they are being destroyed.