U.S. suggests destruction unit for Syrias chemical weapons

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The Pentagon is suggesting the world's chemical weapons watchdog use a U.S.-made mobile destruction unit in Syria to neutralize the country's toxic stockpile, officials told Reuters.

It gave a briefing on the unit on Tuesday to officials at the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, who are deciding what technology to use for the ambitious chemical weapons destruction plan, two officials said.

Syria and the OPCW must make a decision on what technology will be used by Nov. 15.

It will largely depend on how Syria's suspected 1,000 tonnes of sarin, mustard and XV nerve agents are stored. The unit can destroy bulk chemicals, or precursors, but not munitions with a toxic payload. Separating these is more dangerous and time-consuming than incinerating or neutralizing precursor chemicals.

"This is very big business, very political, and several governments are pushing for it," said chemical weapons expert Dieter Rothbacher, who used to train inspectors at the OPCW.

Several countries have already been contacted to provide technicians for trials with the U.S.-made unit, which finished a trial stage in August after half a year of development, said a source who asked not to be named. It is known as the Field Deployable Hydrolysis System (FDHS).

The officials did not provide financial details, but Rothbacher, who helped destroy late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's stockpile, estimated that the unit would "easily cost hundreds of million of dollars".

This comes after a spokesman for the international weapons inspectors in Syria has confirmed they have visited three sites so far across the country, working on a tight schedule to destroy its chemical arms stockpile and program.

In The Hague, OPCW spokesman Michael Luhan said the first series of sites on the inspectors' list are "relatively securely" within government-held territory.

Arab League, OIC call for ceasefire:

The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday urged Syrian government forces and fighters battling President Bashar al-Assad to stage a ceasefire during the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday, which falls next week.

The Arab League and the OIC called on all warring factions to be "committed to a complete ceasefire and all acts of violence and killing of all kinds for the occasion of Eid al-Adha", the secretary generals of both bodies said in a joint statement.

AP/REUTERS

U.S. suggests destruction unit for Syria's chemical weapons