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Chinese warship escorts Syrian mission
January 8, 2014, 6:54 am

The Chinese frigate along with the Russian missile cruiser 'Peter the Great' are providing security to a joint Danish-Norwegian operation tasked with ferrying Syria's chemical weapons out of the strife-torn country [AP]

The Chinese frigate along with the Russian missile cruiser ‘Peter the Great’ are providing security to a joint Danish-Norwegian operation tasked with ferrying Syria’s chemical weapons out of the strife-torn country [AP]

A Chinese warship on Tuesday escorted the first batch of Syrian chemical weapons out of the country after it was loaded onto a Danish commercial vessel in the Syrian port of Latakia.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that the frigate Yancheng entered the territorial waters of Syria on Tuesday and ensued on the mission in close coordination with naval vessels from Russia, Denmark and Norway.

Calling the escort “a multilateral coordination operation,” the Ministry said China participated in the operation in response to the appeals from the UN Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

“It is an important measure taken by the Chinese side to help smoothly remove and eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons and promote the political resolution of the Syrian issue,” the press release said.

Syria agreed to abandon its chemical weapons by June under a deal proposed by Russia, which later got approved by the United States.

Washington on Tuesday welcomed the move.

“We have no reason to believe that the regime has gone back on any aspect of their promise,” said US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Logistical problems and the ongoing Syrian war has resulted in a missed deadline and delays in the international effort to rid Syria of its arsenal.

In accordance with the UN Security Council resolution in September 2013, the chemical weapons will be transported out of Syria and be delivered to an American vessel for destruction.

 

Source: Agencies