Syrian chemical weapons plan to be released

UNITED NATIONS -- The plan for the destruction of all Syrian chemical stockpiles outside the country will be released on December 17, a UN spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"Practicalities are currently being discussed and the final details are being worked out," UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said at a daily news briefing here.

He said that what must be eliminated are the chemicals stored or prepared by Syria for the production of chemical weapons. " These chemicals are not weapons in the traditional meaning of this word ... They cannot be fired as such and they are not weaponized - - in other words, they have not been put into munitions."

The final report would first go to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who would then present it to the UN Security Council, he added.

The Joint Mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will carry out the disposal project, with the assistance of a number of actors, including member states of the OPCW, Nesirky said.

Under the UN Security Council resolution 2118, the OPCW, which has been awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, is mandated to oversee the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons.

Since August, the OPCW staff have been in Syria to inspect and verify Syria's chemical weapon stockpiles. So far they have succeeded in conducting their mission in 22 of the 23 sites.

According to the organization, the most dangerous chemical substances will be transported out of Syria by the end of 2013 while the rest will be shipped out for destruction no later than June 30, 2014.