Syrian chemical weapons transfer initiated

A first shipment of chemical materials was moved from Syria on Tuesday, which initiated the process of transferring chemical weapons from the country to locations outside its territory for destruction, said the joint mission overseeing the disarmament.

"Further progress has been made towards the removal and elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program, " said a statement issued to the press here by Sigrid Kaag, the special coordinator of the joint mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations.

"A first quantity of priority chemical materials was moved from two sites to the port of Lattakia for verification and was then loaded onto a Danish commercial vessel today," the statement said, adding that the vessel has been accompanied by naval escorts provided by Denmark and Norway, as well as Syria.

"This movement initiates the process of transfer of chemical materials from the Syrian Arab Republic to locations outside its territory for destruction," said the statement.

According to it, the vessel has now left the port of Lattakia for international waters. It will remain at sea awaiting the arrival of additional priority chemical materials at the port.

"Maritime security is being provided by naval escorts from the People's Republic of China, Denmark, Norway and the Russian Federation," it added.