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| Syria chemical weapons equipment destroyed, says OPCW | Syria chemical weapons equipment destroyed, says OPCW |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Syria's declared equipment for producing, mixing and filling chemical weapons has been destroyed, the international watchdog says. | |
| This comes a day before the deadline set by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). | |
| Inspectors were sent to Syria following allegations that government forces had used chemical weapons in civilian areas, killing hundreds of people. | |
| The government denies the accusations and blames rebel forces. | |
| The inspections were agreed between Russia and the US after Washington threatened to use force in Syria. | The inspections were agreed between Russia and the US after Washington threatened to use force in Syria. |
| Arsenal | Arsenal |
| Now that the equipment has been put beyond use, Syria has until mid-2014 to destroy the chemical weapons themselves. | Now that the equipment has been put beyond use, Syria has until mid-2014 to destroy the chemical weapons themselves. |
| Its arsenal is believed to include more than 1,000 tonnes of the nerve gas sarin, the blister agent sulphur mustard and other banned chemicals, stored at dozens of sites. | Its arsenal is believed to include more than 1,000 tonnes of the nerve gas sarin, the blister agent sulphur mustard and other banned chemicals, stored at dozens of sites. |
| "We have personally observed all the destruction activities," OPCW head of field operations Jerry Smith told the BBC. | |
| "They are not now in a position to conduct any further production or mixing of chemical weapons." | |
| In a statement, the OPCW said its teams had inspected 21 of the 23 chemical weapons sites in Syria. | |
| The other two were too dangerous to visit but the equipment had already been moved to some of the other sites, it said. | |
| Mr Smith said that verifying the destruction of Syria's weapons production capability had been a "particularly challenging job" because it had to be done in the midst of a conflict, with a tight deadline. | |
| The OPCW earlier this month won the Nobel Peace Prize but Mr Smith said his team had been too busy to celebrate because of their work in Syria. | |
| The US says more than 1,400 people were killed during a nerve agent attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August. | The US says more than 1,400 people were killed during a nerve agent attack in Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August. |
| Syria and Russia believe rebel groups were responsible for the attack. | Syria and Russia believe rebel groups were responsible for the attack. |
| The OPCW announcement comes as human rights group Amnesty International says that hundreds of Syrian refugees are being turned away at the borders of Jordan and other countries. | |
| Jordan has denied the accusation, saying its border is open to Syrian refugees. | |
| More than 100,000 people have been killed in the fighting that has ravaged Syria for two-and-a-half years, according to the UN. | |
| A further two million people have fled Syria and some 4.5 million have been displaced internally. |